Inked for the Wisconsin Badgers: Three-star defensive end Cade McDonald

With the early signing period for high school football players beginning on Dec. 18, BadgerBlitz.com dives into a closer look at the commits who have signed with the Wisconsin Badgers.

Let's take a look at defensive end Cade McDonald, who officially signed with Wisconsin on Wednesday.

The eighth commitment in Wisconsin’s 2020 class, McDonald is a three-star prospect by Rivals.com.

McDonald committed to the Badgers over scholarship offers from Illinois State, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Seemingly every recruiting cycle for Wisconsin produces at least one hidden gem who emerges during the Badgers’ high school summer camp circuit. McDonald holds that distinction for 2020.

Admitting he wasn’t at his peak level due to him playing a pair of lacrosse games the previous night, McDonald still posted a 26-3 vertical, an 8-5 broad jump, a 7.66 L-Cone, and a 4.77 shuttle during testing. To further improve his stock, McDonald more than held his own against UW commits Jack Nelson (2020) and Riley Mahlman (2021) in front of head coach Paul Chryst and defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield.

Not long after McDonald and his dad pilled in the car to head home, Chryst called and offered him a scholarship. A commitment came only a few days later.

“I love the campus and the coaching staff seems to be just as great. Their facilities and school are outstanding in the field that I would like to study. And just overall, it has been my favorite college for a long while … It’s been a long-time dream and goal of mine and I couldn’t be more excited to go play college ball.”

- McDonald told BadgerBlitz.com

“He's long and the gap schemes that Wisconsin plays with should work well with Cade. He plays a traditional 4i technique for us and their scheme is a little different. But it will be an easy transition for him. The intangible pieces and him being so easy to coach, that won't be a problem. He's very good at separating from defenders and getting off the blocks. It will play really well once he develops at Wisconsin.”

- Hudson defensive coordinator Neil Hatfield told BadgerBlitz.com

McDonald didn’t look like a Big Ten player, let alone a college football player, a year ago. While he was a robust 6-foot-6, McDonald weighed only 220 pounds and didn’t deliver eye-popping numbers during 2018 (21 tackles, seven TFLs). Fortunately for him, he took his off-season seriously by adding 20 pounds to his frame and started to play with some confidence, evident by his camp performance at Wisconsin. Like many in this class, McDonald excels as a multi-sport athlete which has helped improve his athleticism and flexibility. He’s certainly raw but the tools (build, footwork, competitiveness, etc.) are there.

A safe bet to redshirt next season, especially with Isaiahh Loudermilk, Garrett Rand and Matt Henningsen expected to return next fall, McDonald will need to add a good chunk of weight to his frame to be able to handle college offensive tackles. When he does, he’ll have a chance to grow into an every-down player for Wisconsin’s defensive line.