MADISON, Wis. – It’s clear the direction Luke Fickell intends to push the University of Wisconsin in the recruiting classes to come

After quickly cobbling together a small recruiting class in less than a month after being hired, Fickell and his staff scoured the country to recruit and receive commitments from 20 known prospects combining physicality, speed, and play-making abilities.

Half the Badgers class comprises four-star recruits, which is why it currently is ranked 20th in the country by Rivals.com, and addressed depth needs and deficiencies at every position. Adding to the depth of the defense, we look at the upcoming signing of Gibsonia (PA) Pine Richland’s Ryan Cory and how his addition improves the program.

Starting on defensive the past three seasons and working at guard on the offensive line, Cory’s team went 9-4 in 2013, which included going 5-1 to win its conference. Pine-Richard lost in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League championship game to undefeated Peters Township.

“It was a pretty good season,” Cory said. “We didn’t come out as champions, but making it there is not an easy task, so I’m proud of our team in that way. I think that the biggest thing I improved upon, in the beginning of the year and at the end of last year, I was not playing balanced. As the year went on, I made it a point with my offensive line coach to work on that. By the end of the year, I was doing a much better job of staying balanced, especially when I’m out in space and blocking small shiftier dudes.”

The eighth commitment in Wisconsin’s 2024 class, Cory committed to the Badgers over two dozen other offers, including Power-Five offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Miami (FL), Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and West Virginia.