MADISON, Wis. – It turned out that Luke Fickell had no reason to worry.
The University of Wisconsin head coach was hopeful that the results on the field wouldn’t cause members of his highly ranked third recruiting class to start rethinking their commitment or, worse yet, reopen their decision-making process entirely.
From the time the Badgers’ 2024 season ended without a bowl game for the first time in 23 years to the first day of the early signing period, Wisconsin's staff only saw one prospect de-commit. Twenty-three kids signed paperwork to join Fickell’s program, a class that ranks 20th in the Rivals.com rankings with 10 four-star recruits from eight different states.
“To see guys not waver,” Fickell said. “That faith and belief that the games and what you see on Saturday isn’t everything. For those guys to hold with us and believe in us … relationships, trust, and belief in this process still win out.”
Adding to the depth in the secondary, we look at the signing of Neenah (Wis.) High defensive back Grant Dean and how his addition improves the program.
Stats
Dean said he didn’t play defense for half of the season as he worked primarily as the team’s running back. That didn’t stop him from being named first-team all-state in 2024 as a senior, as well as being named the conference offensive and defensive player of the year. He finished his senior season with 1,135 yards and 16 scores on offense with 40 tackles and two interceptions on defense, a far cry from when his sophomore season of 685 all-purpose yards.
“For my junior year on defense, I was more of a downhill safety,” said Dean, who was also an AP all-state selection in 2023. “I didn’t have a lot of film in coverage. This year I had a lot of improvement in that, and I showed a lot more of that in my film. I just really improved overall.”
Recruiting Competition
The sixth commitment in Wisconsin’s 2025 class, Dean had offers from Army, North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, South Dakota State, and Wyoming when he picked the Badgers. He said his recruitment has been “fairly quiet” since he committed.
