Wisconsin Badgers weekly recruiting rundown (June 12)
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The world of recruiting never stops, and this past week provided plenty of news for Wisconsin football and basketball.
Not only are there summer camps ongoing for both sports, but the football team also extended a slew of new offers, and welcomed several official visitors to campus.
In an attempt to provide an overview of everything that happened during the past seven days, here is the weekly recruiting rundown.
Basketball: Gehrig Normand schedules an official visit to Madison
Since offering three-star wing Gehrig Normand (2023) back on May 31, the Badgers have quickly become a real threat in his recruitment. The Texas shooting guard/small forward will take an official visit to Madison next weekend, on June 20.
Normand is also taking visits to Texas and Missouri in June, so Wisconsin is far from the clear favorite, but he is a talented prospect that the staff has made significant inroads with lately. The visit will go a long way in determining how big of a threat the Badgers are in the race for his commitment.
The Badgers have zeroed in on Normand and four-star Jaime Kaiser as the top wing targets in the 2023 class, and I would not be shocked to see either wind up signing with Wisconsin, depending on how things go over the next couple of months. The Badgers are still one of the top contenders for Kaiser after hosting him on an official visit this spring, though the local draw of Maryland will be tough to beat.
Basketball: 2022 signee Connor Essegian sprains ankle, should be healthy for workouts
Just days before he will arrive on campus for summer workouts with the Badgers, 2022 signee Connor Essegian twisted an ankle during a scrimmage for an Indiana All-Star Game. As a result, the three-star shooting guard was on crutches with an ankle sprain, according to Gregg Doyel of the IndyStar.
The ankle injury is not supposed to sideline him for long, and he should be in the clear to participate with Wisconsin later this month.
Football: Official visit weekend
The football team welcomed eight official visitors this weekend, and from all accounts, things seem to be going well for the Badgers. We will see if Wisconsin closed on any of these top targets in the 2023 recruiting class in the coming days.
Here are the players who made it to campus for official visits:
- RB Nate White (commit)
- Safety Justin Taylor (commit)
- DL Roderick Pierce (commit)
- CB Braeden Marshall
- CB A.J. Tisdell
- DL Jamel Howard
- OLB Jordan Mayer
- WR Collin Dixon
Note that three-star cornerback Quentin Ajiero was originally scheduled to be on campus this weekend for an official visit, but did not make it due to a stomach virus.
Football: some big 2024 visitors
The Wisconsin coaching staff also brought in some notable 2024 prospects this weekend for unofficial visits.
- 2024 OL Ian Moore
A four-star recruit out of Indiana, Moore picked up an offer from the Badgers back on May 19. He is one of Wisconsin's top offensive line targets in the 2024 class, and he seems to have had a great time.
- 2024 LB Anthony Speca
Another four-star, Pennsylvania lineback Anthony Speca was also on campus for an unofficial visit. The Badgers are battling some other top programs such as Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Penn State for Speca at this time. Wisconsin offered Speca back in early April.
- 2024 DB Emiril Gant
Wisconsin only offered Florida defensive back Emiril Gant two weeks ago, but he was already up on campus this weekend for an unofficial visit. He is a high school teammate of four-star visitor Braeden Marshall, so it will be interesting to see if the Badgers can make it a package deal. Wisconsin was Gant's first offer.
Football: new offers go out in 2023, 2024, 2025
2023 offers:
- Trech Kekahuna - wide receiver (three-star)
2024 offers:
- Michael Van Buren - quarterback (four-star)
- Dante Reno - quarterback (four-star)
- Ronan O'Connell - offensive line (three-star)
- Vaboue Toure - safety (four-star)
2025 offers:
- Tre Poteat - cornerback (from Verona, Wis.)
- Tylan Taylor - wide receiver (from Geneva, Ill.)
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