Wisconsin lands a commitment from 2023 outside linebacker Jordan Mayer
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2023 outside linebacker Jordan Mayer committed to Boston College on March 20.
An offer from Wisconsin changed those plans, however.
The 6-foot-5 athlete from Thomas Jefferson High School in Pennsylvania decided to reopen his recruitment on Friday, April 22, and was in Madison for an unofficial visit on the same day with his uncle.
Flash forward to this weekend, and Mayer took another trip to Wisconsin, for an official visit. During the trip, Mayer had the chance to spend time with the players and coaches, and ultimately he decided to call Madison home for the next four years.
While Mayer plays both defensive end and tight end at the prep level, the Jefferson Hills native will join Bobby April's room as an outside linebacker for the Wisconsin Badgers.
Mayer is rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals and opted to shut down his recruitment in favor of the Badgers over other offers from Akron, Boston College, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Duke, Eastern Michigan, Georgia Tech, Kent State, Miami (OH), Navy, Ohio, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Toledo, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia.
The three-star edge rusher released a top-4 of Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, and had plans to take official visits to each school prior to his announcement on Sunday.
All Badgers had a chance to speak with Mayer back in May about his initial visit to Madison and his recruitment overall, and it was clear that the Badgers were in a great spot since offering him.
"Wisconsin is definitely recruiting me harder than anyone else right now, and they kind of play an old-school brand of football that I love," Mayer said at that time.
Mayer would go on to say that he appreciated the way coach April handled the recruitment, "That was the first college I've been to where they aren't really selling themselves. They kind of provide me with what they have to offer, and let me take or leave it."
A quick look at Mayer's junior highlights shows a disruptive pass rusher with a nice blend of strength and quickness off the edge. At a little less than 240 pounds, he already possesses solid size for the position, and his hand usage at an early age stands out on film. He appears to close well in pursuit and is tough against the run, as well.
As a junior, Mayer earned first-team all-conference honors in Pennsylvania's WPIAL Class 4A.
Outside linebacker coach Bobby April led the recruiting charge for Mayer, and at this point, his track record of identifying players speaks for itself. The Badgers have the most depth at the position in some time, and Mayer seems to be another quality addition to the room.
Wisconsin is now up to seven commits in the 2023 recruiting class with the commitment of Mayer, joining linebacker Tyler Jansey, defensive lineman Roderick Pierce, safety Justin Taylor, a pair of running backs in Jaquez Keyes and Nate White, and offensive lineman James Durand. Jansey is an inside linebacker recruit for UW, so Bobby April is still in the market for another outside linebacker in this class.
As things stand, the top remaining edge target is definitively Tackett Curtis out of Louisiana. The top-100 prospect has been on campus multiple times, and Bobby April has recruited him as hard as anyone over the past year. Curtis took an official visit to Madison this month as well, and he represents potentially the most highly-coveted on Wisconsin's entire recruiting board.
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