Wisconsin offers 2023 four-star LB Blake Nichelson
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Sitting at 13 commitments, the Wisconsin Badgers still have room in their 2023 recruiting class following summer official visits.
Looking to make some key moves ahead of another wave of visits upcoming in the fall, the Badgers made a new offer in the 2023 cycle to Blake Nichelson of Manteca, California.
Though rated as a four-star linebacker according to 247 Sports and Rivals, Nichelson is also a decorated high school running back, combining for over 2,600 all-purpose yards and 44 touchdowns on offense as a junior.
Defensively, Nichelson added 49 tackles, 11 of which went for a loss, and seven sacks.
After missing on linebacker target Tackett Curtis earlier in the week, the offer to Nichelson by outside linebackers coach Bobby April and recruiting coordinator Mickey Turner makes a lot of sense, especially considering Nichelson's talent level.
A top-250 prospect, Nichelson has plenty of suitors already. In addition to Wisconsin, Nichelson holds scholarship offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Boston College, Cal, Florida State, Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, and Washington State at the Power 5 level.
The Badgers will need to quickly make up some ground with the 6-foot-3 linebacker, as he has already taken official visits to Florida State and Oregon, and has an announced top-3 of FSU, Oregon, and UCLA. Working in Wisconsin's favor is the fact that he has not yet made an announcement despite using those two official visits. The timing of the offer opens the door for Bobby April and the coaching staff to potentially get him on campus later this month during the brief visit window, or host him for an official visit in the fall if they can talk him into delaying his decision.
On film, Nichelson shows some tremendous twitchiness, and his athletic ability is very apparent both on offense and defense. A strong and physical linebacker, he fits what Wisconsin traditionally looks for at outside linebacker given his versatility and quickness off the edge.
Nichelson will play in the Army All-American Bowl and the Polynesian Bowl after his senior year, but in the meantime, it will be interesting to see if the Badgers can quickly become a factor in his recruitment following the late offer.
Wisconsin has recruited the outside linebacker spot well in recent years, landing at least several four-star prospects in the past few classes, and it appears as though the staff hopes to pair Nichelson with current 2023 edge commit Jordan Mayer.
You can check out Nichelson's junior defensive highlights below.
The Badgers 2023 recruiting class currently ranks nationally just inside the top 50, with the following players committed at this time:
- Linebacker Tyler Jansey
- Offensive lineman James Durand
- Safety Justin Taylor
- Running back Jaquez Keyes
- Defensive lineman Roderick Pierce
- Running back Nate White
- Outside linebacker Jordan Mayer
- Wide receiver Collin Dixon
- Cornerback A.J. Tisdell
- Wide receiver Trech Kekahuna
- Cornerback Jace Arnold
- Nose tackle Jamel Howard
- Offensive lineman Christopher Terek
Related links:
- Four-star DL David Stone talks about his connections to Wisconsin
- Christopher Terek is commitment No. 13 for the Wisconsin Badgers
- Wisconsin football assistant coach profile: OLB coach Bobby April
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