The first weekend of June will play a large part in how Wisconsin builds its 2022 recruiting class.
Ten official visitors from the junior cycle are expected to be on campus this weekend. BadgerBlitz.com breaks down each prospect below.
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Four-star lineman Billy Schrauth
Top 4: Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Wisconsin
Official visits: Wisconsin (June 4), Notre Dame (June 11), Ohio State (June 15)
The Word: Billy Schrauth has a top four of Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Wisconsin, but the Irish have all the recruiting momentum this spring. The four-star lineman could be one of the few prospects to leave the state with an offer from the Badgers during Paul Chryst's time as head coach.
"I think they (Wisconsin) push the in-state quite a bit, and it shows," Schrauth told BadgerBitz.com. "That program is built on in-state guys and I think that's been their main message to me."
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Three-star defensive tackle Felix Hixon
Top 10: Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Louisville, South Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin
Official visits: Wisconsin (June 4), South Carolina (June 7), Illinois (June 12), Georgia Tech (June 18), Virginia (June 25)
The Word: Felix Hixon released a top 10 this spring, but the focus is likely on the five schools he'll take official visits to in June: Georgia Tech, Illinois, Wisconsin, Virginia and South Carolina.
“Right now I’m enjoying my recruitment,” Hixon told Rivals.com. “I’m really looking forward to my official visits coming up in June and I’m really having fun with it. I want to get around the coaches, mainly - get the feel of them and see what they are like in person and get the feel and the atmosphere of the program. I want it to feel perfect for me."
Three-star cornerback A'Khoury Lyde
Top 12: Boston College, Duke, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Liberty, Wisconsin
Official visits: Wisconsin (June 4), Boston College (June 18)
The Word: A'Khoury Lyde was a top recruiting target for Hank Poteat during his time at Toledo. Now on staff as Wisconsin's new cornerbacks coach, Poteat has stayed in contact with the 6-foot, 170-pound cornerback, who picked up an offer from the Badgers in late February. Lyde currently has officials set to UW and Boston College, with Pittsburgh and Duke likely to be added at some point.
"I've known the DBs coach, Coach Poteat, when he was at Toledo," Lyde told BadgerBlitz.com. "He came over to Wisconsin and we've kept in contact during that time. He put in a word for me with the defensive coaches at Wisconsin. They enjoyed watching my film and they wanted to offer. Coach Poteat wanted to make sure they knew who I was."
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Three-star cornerback Caleb Coley
Offers: Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Michigan State, Mississippi, Northwestern, Clemson, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest and Wisconsin, among others
Official visits: Wisconsin (June 4), Michigan State (June 11), Northwestern (June 18), Vanderbilt (June 25)
The Word: Caleb Coley has been quiet in regards to his recruitment, but the three-star prospect from Georgia has four visits set this month. It will be interesting to see how a recent offer from Clemson shakes up Coley's recruitment.
Three-star safety Austin Brown
Offers: Boston College, Cincinnati, Illinois, Iowa State, Louisville, Minnesota, Purdue, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin, among others
Official visits: Wisconsin (June 4), Northwestern (June 11), Michigan (June 18), Illinois (June 25)
The Word: Austin Brown, who was offered by Wisconsin this winter, is scheduled to take his official visit to Madison this weekend. He is one of just three safeties UW has extended a scholarship to so far in this class.
"I set up my first official visit to Wisconsin for June 4," Brown told Rivals.com. "I'm excited to just go see Wisconsin in person and start putting faces with names when it comes to the different coaches. Wisconsin has a great group of coaches who also have a lot of NFL knowledge and I just want to get to know them better along with seeing the school in person and just get a better feel for what they offer."
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Four-star tailback Nicholas Singleton
Top 9: Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Wisconsin
Official visits: Wisconsin (June 4), Penn State (June 11), Notre Dame (June 18), Alabama (June 25)
The Word: A 5-foot-11, 191-pound junior from Governor Mifflin Senior in Pennsylvania, Nicholas Singleton plans to see four schools in June. The Badgers, who previously hosted Singleton in March of 2019, will get the four-star prospect on campus for an official visit this weekend.
"They've been telling me how they produce their running backs and what kind of coaches they are," Singleton told Rivals.com. "They're obviously really good coaches. I did a Zoom meeting with Jonathan Taylor and some of the other running backs and they speak very highly about Wisconsin, the running back coach, and the whole coaching staff. They really love it up there. I've been talking to those coaches a lot too. I was up there before the pandemic last year."
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Four-star defensive tackle Curtis Neal
Offers: Ohio State, Wisconsin Oregon, USC, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Penn State and Texas A&M, among others
Official visits: Wisconsin (June 4), Ohio State (June 11)
The Word: A junior defensive tackle from Hough High School in North Carolina, Curtis Neal has official visits to both Wisconsin and Ohio State set for June. As far as his three other allotted trips, those may not be necessary, according to the Rivals250 prospect.
"I don’t know if I’ll need those, to be honest," Neal told BadgerBlitz.com. "I want to get this thing over with by the end of June. We’ll see how it goes and it can change, but I’m ready to be done with it and I will most likely have a decision by the end of June."
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Four-star offensive tackle Joe Brunner
Offers: Florida State, Iowa, LSU, Miami (FL), Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Wisconsin, among others
Official visits: Wisconsin (June 4), Ohio State (June 11), Notre Dame (June 18)
The Word: Four-star offensive tackle Joe Brunner grades out as the top player in the state and the No. 58 prospect in the 2022 class. A three-year varsity starter at Whitefish Bay, Brunner visited UW a handful of times in the fall of 2019 but will use his official visits before making a final decision.
“I think I’ll try and use all five [official visits] — get out there with my family and see if I’m comfortable with the school," Brunner told Rivals.com. "It’s helpful to use all five, so I’m going to try and take advantage of it.”
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Three-star defensive end Isaac Hamm
Top 4: Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Wisconsin
Official visits: Wisconsin (June 4)
The Word: Isaac Hamm is still working with a top four of Wisconsin, Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State, though the Buckeyes have yet to offer. The three-star prospect will be on UW's campus this weekend and may not take any other officials.
"I would say that I still definitely feel great about that list and those are still definitely the top four schools on my list," Hamm told BadgerBlitz.com. "But there are some potential options that could lead to me opening my recruiting back up. I would say I want to wait until they offer before I share those, though."
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Four-star center Carson Hinzman
Offers: Alabama, Iowa, LSU, Miami (FL), Michigan, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee and Wisconsin, among others
Official visits: Wisconsin (June 4), Notre Dame (June 18), Iowa (June 25)
The Word: The first in-state prospect Wisconsin offered in the 2022 class, Carson Hinzman, who visited Alabama unofficially at the start of the month, has three officials locked in for June. A decision could come this summer from the four-star prospect.
"Over here in Wisconsin, everyone is usually a Badgers fan," Hinzman told BadgerBlitz.com. "If you’re not a Badger, you’re a Gopher. Living close to the (Twin) Cities, it’s pretty crazy to see that. I’d say about 85 or 90 percent of the people bleed red. It’s definitely a family aspect down there. Coach (Joe) Rudolph and Coach (Chris) Haering do an incredible job of recruiting, along with Coach (Paul) Chryst. I really love those guys with that family aspect as well. There are times when I’m hopping on a phone call with them, just talking about different aspects of life - about the campus and how guys act and the culture. Just kind of everything. That relationship piece has grown so much - it’s really just an awesome opportunity being that home-state team. It’s a lot of fun."
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