Three Takeaways from Wisconsin's Latest Commitment: The Next Cooper Catalano?

What we learned from the Badgers' latest add in the 2027 cycle .

Cooper Catalano (left), Mason Posa (center) and Tuf Borland (right). | Christian Borman.

The Badgers added to their robust haul in the 2027 recruiting class Wednesday night by flipping former Iowa State commit Keaton Wollan.

The in-state linebacker from Amery, Wisconsin is the ninth player from the Dairy State to pledge to the Badgers in the cycle.

Wollan, a consensus three-star prospect and either the No. 11 or No. 12 player in Wisconsin, depending on if you ask On3/Rivals or 247Sports, respectively, is also the Badgers' first add at inside linebacker in the class.

What does Wollan's commitment mean? Here's three takeaways from the Badgers' latest recruiting win:

1. The Next Cooper Catalano?

Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Cooper Catalano. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Cooper Catalano is one of the best players on Wisconsin's defense and the my favorite to lead the Badgers in tackles next season. But just a year ago, he was a rather unheralded three-star recruit from Germantown with just six offers.

That's just one of the similarities between Wollan and Catalano; they're both slept-on recruits nationally. But they also have a very similar skillset. Pop on Wollan's tape, and you see a proficient tackler who drops ball-carriers as soon as he gets his hands on them. Both players play the Mike linebacker spot, and both are very instinctual.

It's obviously early in Catalano's career, but he appears to be a special talent who could potentially make a dent on Wisconsin's all-time tackles leaderboard. I'm not saying Wollan is of that caliber, but he sure flashes a similar skillset.

2. Tuf Borland Breaks the Seal

Wisconsin ILBs coach Tuf Borland. | Christian Borman.

Tuf Borland is one of several promising young position coaches on Wisconsin's staff alongside Eric Mateos, Robert Steeples and a few others. In a sense, he caught some luck inheriting a linebacker room that features two of the nation's most promising young defenders. But Borland is hungry to make a name for himself, and he just achieved a significant milestone in that process, landing his first ever commitment.

Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, who also coached the inside backers his first two seasons in Madison, handled the recruiting at that position until Borland took over. Landing an in-state tackling machine is a good start; it'll be interesting to see if he can position the Badgers for some more big-time national level recruits later down the line.

3. Wisconsin Gets Measure of Revenge Against Iowa State

Freedom High School's Donovan Davis. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa State has been a thorn in the side of Wisconsin's basketball program as of late, and the Cyclones struck again this month, landing the No. 2 player in the Dairy State Donovan Davis right under the Badgers' nose.

Wisconsin's football program now helps the Badgers get some get-back, as it flipped Wollan from Iowa State rather easily. The linebacker was committed to the Cyclones for less than a month, and as soon as the Badgers extended the offer, it was essentially curtains on his recruitment.

This isn't as massive as a commitment as landing a top-45 player in the country, of course, and it doesn't solve Greg Gard's in-state recruiting problem. But it's still a nice measure of revenge against Iowa State.