Hank Weber, a rising senior from Tennessee, still had official visits scheduled to North Carolina and Vanderbilt on his calendar this month.

But a trip to Wisconsin, the third during his recruiting process, was enough for the 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive end to commit to the Badgers during a conversation with head coach Luke Fickell on Sunday morning.

"I realized that the distance really isn't too bad for me," Weber told BadgerBlitz.com. "It's about a nine-hour drive, which is long but it's not too bad. North Carolina was up there for me as well and that's about eight hours away. So if you put it in that perspective, distance wasn't that strong of a factor for me.

"It's a big relief for sure, but it was a tough decision. The other schools like Vanderbilt and North Carolina treated me very well. It was super tough saying no to those coaches because they presented great opportunities and they were great to my family. But Wisconsin is where I'm meant to be and I'm glad everything is settled now."

While a handful of commitments took place for UW on Lake Mendota during the weekend, Weber pulled the trigger right before his flight back to Tennessee. He and Vernon Woodward have made their pledges public, with at least one more expected later this week.

"A bunch of kids went out on the lake and committed there, but I was actually taking a nap when that happened," Weber said with a laugh. "Their commitments didn't lead me to commit and it was my own decision. But it was exciting to be around this weekend and I think we can build a great class at Wisconsin. A big part of my decision is bringing a national title to Wisconsin and make history with this 2024 class.

"I think Coach Fickell has the resources, coaches and players to do that. I wanted to get on that train. I started looking at everything that I wanted in a school and what I needed to take my next step. Wisconsin had everything and I wanted to pull the trigger during the visit."

Fickell and position coach Greg Scruggs both played a significant part in Weber's commitment. He is No. 10 for the Badgers in the 2024 class.

"I had a meeting with Coach Fickell on Sunday morning and he wasn't expecting it at all," Weber said. "We were having a conversation and he asked if I had any questions. That's when I dropped the bomb and he was ecstatic. I went out to the hotel lobby and I told Coach Scruggs and he got super hyped. He announced it to everyone else and everyone was jumping up and down and screaming. It was a great moment and really fun.

"Coach Scruggs is a dream coach, for sure. He's a man of faith, which is big for me, and he's also a player's coach. He cares for his guys deeply and that's something that's very enticing for me. He's not a coach that will disrespect you, but he'll get on you to do things the right now. I like his style as a coach and it's something that I was looking for in a position coach. He also didn't hound me during my recruiting process and he wasn't overbearing at all, and I really appreciated that. He's just a great guy and I'm super excited to work with over the next four years."

Moving forward, Weber will work to add another Tennessee native to UW's commit list.

"First in mind is probably Ronan O'Connell from my state of Tennessee," Weber said. "He's someone who would fit in great here. So I'll be working on him as my first priority, but there are definitely others, too."

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