What stood out to this Wisconsin offensive line commit during his 'great time' on Badgers official visit

There's been a common theme when asking recruits what stood out the most during their official visits to the University of Wisconsin football program.

Wisconsin received its sixth commitment of the 2026 class from three-star Virginia offensive lineman Maddox Cochrane, center, the weekend of April 19. | Jake Kocorowski

There's been a common theme when asking recruits what stood out the most during their official visits to the Wisconsin Badgers, and Maddox Cochrane just experienced it himself in recent days.

Whether it was Cochrane, fellow 2026 offensive lineman Kamari Blair, wide receiver Jayden Petit, outside linebacker Jackson Samuels Ford or defensive lineman Arthur Scott, they've all answered the question with something about those in and around the Badgers program.

"Just how most places I've been, most colleges you go to, all the guys kind of 'big bro' you or try to act like they're better than you, or you don't feel as welcome. But here it's different," Cochrane said from his hotel room Sunday. "Those guys make you feel like you they want you there, and you have a great time, and they treat you like one of the guys."

Sneak peak 👀👀👀….@WisFBRecruiting @CoachBlaz @BuckyRecruiting pic.twitter.com/xEEKYHDoAj

— Maddox Cochrane (@MaddoxCochrane_) June 8, 2025

Cochrane's a three-star recruit from Richmond Benedictine College Prep in Virginia who was just on campus this weekend. He committed in April while on an unofficial visit to the program, so it's expected that he already would be treated as one of the Badgers.

He also saw how they treated a player still figuring out his collegiate path in four-star offensive lineman Jalayne Miller, who was among a few uncommitted recruits also in town this weekend.

"But they were treating him with the same respect, same everything," Cochrane said. "So everyone, I think, had a great time, but that was definitely what stuck out most is just how cool the guys are and hanging out and all that."

Freshman lineman Hardy Watts acted as host for Cochrane, and the recruit said he became closer to many players. He was in Madison with Wisconsin's other 2026 offensive line commit, Benjamin Novak (Merrillville Andrean, Indiana).

"We had a great time," Cochrane said of he and Novak. "We were hanging out basically the whole time. They had laser tags set up in the indoor facility, and we're chilling with that.

"And he came over to my room a couple times, and we hung out and talked and kind of just went over how everything was going and how everything was feeling. But definitely a good guy, and I'm excited to get here and work, get better with him."

Cochrane also spent significant time with Miller during the nights of their official visits.

"We would walk around and look for food," Cochrane said. "They said they would have food for us, so we'd go down at like one o'clock and go get food, and then he'd come to my room. I would not pressure him, but talk to him about what other schools he was interested in, and I would kind of compare and say, 'I don't see how this is better than what we have.'

"Just kind of put it in his brain or get him to see what I see. But we were talking about really anything. 'What do you like to do? What are you most excited for?' Just kind of engaging him and hanging out and having a good time."

As for Cochrane, he's willing to play any position on the offensive line but still believes the program wants him to play tackle. He has no more official visits to take, and according to him, his recruiting process is "done."

"When I committed, I called everyone," Cochrane said. "I called all the coaches the next day, and I was like, 'Hey, sorry. I just felt this was the right decision that I made. I'm not going to be coming up anymore, going anymore, to the official.'

"So I don't have anything. I haven't gone to anything. I'm not going anywhere."

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