Wisconsin Badgers turned to Hall of Famer Joe Thomas to help recruit transfer portal offensive linemen

Luke Fickell relied on Hall of Fame offensive tackle Joe Thomas to help the Wisconsin Badgers recruit some of their top OL targets in the transfer portal.

Wisconsin Badgers former lineman Joe Thomas acknowledges the crowd during a game at Camp Randall Stadium. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

It's hard for a young offensive lineman to tell Joe Thomas "No," especially when the Hall of Fame tackle takes them out to a steak dinner in downtown Madison.

Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers called on their star alumnus to help with recruiting some of their top offensive line recruits in the transfer portal, and Thomas quicky produced results.

After Florida State transfer Lucas Simmons announced his commitment to the Badgers Wednesday morning, Thomas revealed in an Instagram video that he was involved in the recruiting process during Simmons' visit.

Thomas took him and some other OL recruits to a nice steakhouse and showed them some of the best that Madison has to offer.

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It appears that another Badgers offensive line commit, Paris Wilkins, may have also been at that dinner.

Wilkins committed later on Wednesday, and he commented on the Instagram video with a series of fire emojis.

Related: Veteran portal offensive lineman commits to Wisconsin Badgers from SEC school

The group of linemen seemed to enjoy the wagyu steaks, and Thomas evidently sold them well on coming to Wisconsin.

Both transfer signings represent significant additions for new Badgers offensive line coach Eric Mateos.

Simmons was one of the top offensive line recruits in the country coming out of high school, and Wilkins was one of the most physically imposing linemen in the portal.

They should both have the opportunity to compete to start right away on a young offensive line at Wisconsin.

It was a shrewd recruiting tactic by Fickell to bring in his Hall of Fame almunus to help seal the deal for the OL recruits, and it signals a willingness for former Badgers to help out the program.

It's another strong positive sign during a productive transfer portal window for Wisconsin.

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