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 22 prospects from 13 different states from coast to coast, combining physicality, speed, and play-making abilities.

“The ability to go across the United States and find the players we need to be successful in doing the things we want to do is really, really impressive,” Fickell said.

Half the Badgers class comprises four-star recruits, which is why it currently is ranked 18th in the country by Rivals.com, and addresses the depth needs and deficiencies at every position. Adding to the depth of the running back position, we look at the signing of Olney (MD) Our Lady of Good Counsel’s Dilin Jones and how his addition improves the program.

Jones was a consistent contributor for a Falcons that have claimed five straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference titles. After running for 1,308 yards on 8.8 yards per carry with 17 touchdowns in 11 games as a junior, Jones had 855 offensive yards on 108 carries and recorded 15 total touchdowns his senior season, including the game-winning score in the WCAC Capital Division title game. He was named the WCAC offensive MVP as both a junior and a senior, as well as a participant for the schools’ track and wrestling teams.

“This is what I think I so unique about Dilin. He’s by far the standout player in our running back room, and has been for the last three years, he’s been the most popular guy in the running back room, “Our Lady of Good Counsel coach Andy Stefanelli said. “He’s very humble, he’s always helping his teammates, always helping his fellow running backs, and they love him for that. There’s no jealously.

“His sophomore and junior year, we used running backs in a rotation. We probably should have been giving him more carries, but we kept the rotation going. Not only did he embrace it, he encouraged the other kids. The star running back could be demanding his touches, but he's the polar opposite of that. He wants the other guys to succeed, and that enabled, while he was getting first-team all-conference, my second and third honors were getting all-conference honors. We went two years in a row with three backs getting all-conference honors and last year we had two. The other kids are talented, but that’s because of Dilin Jones.

“If you ask the wrestling coach or the track coach, they’d say the same thing. He is the favorite of every coach of every sport he plays. He’s a different guy. He’s an amazing kid.”

The 19th commitment in Wisconsin’s 2024 class, Jones committed to the Badgers from over 20 offers, including Power-Five scholarships from Auburn, Florida State, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, and South Carolina.