2021 DL Michael Jarvis: "My heart was always telling me Wisconsin"

Wisconsin added its first projected defensive lineman to the 2021 recruiting class Wednesday when Michael Jarvis announced his commitment to the Badgers.

"Since my freshman year, Wisconsin has always been the school I've looked at," Jarvis told BadgerBlitz.com. "The coaches showed me so much love and they really want to coach me. It just felt right in my heart to play for the Badgers.

"It feels great to have made my commitment because I can focus on having fun this upcoming season and being with my friends. It will be great to continue to learn more about Wisconsin and getting to know the rest of the commits better."

Jarvis, who had 87 tackles and 10 sacks last fall, has been in contact with assistant coach Inoke Breckterfield. He could play end or tackle in the Badgers' 3-4 defensive scheme.

"When I committed, I was on a Zoom call with pretty much the whole defensive staff, along with Coach (Paul) Chryst and Coach (Mickey) Turner," Jarvis said. "They were all going nuts and jumping up and down. They think I am a great fit in their scheme because of my body size and frame. They also love how hard and physical I play."

Jarvis, who could be the only scholarship defensive lineman UW takes in this class, was supposed to visit Wisconsin in late March before on-campus trips were shut down. So to bridge the gap, he participated in a virtual visit a few days ago.

"The virtual visit went really well," Jarvis said. "They showed me the campus and the facilities. Everything was amazing and I can't wait to see it in person.

"They are only taking me and maybe one more lineman, but the chances of that are slim. They are only taking two defensive linemen, at the most."

A 6-foot-5, 250-pound junior from Shawnee High School in New Jersey, Jarvis chose UW over offers from Rutgers, Virginia, Duke, Florida State, Indiana, Nebraska, Syracuse, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest, among others.

"I talked to Nebraska quite a bit, but it was really Rutgers and Wisconsin," Jarvis said. "Rutgers is great and the coaches are trying to change the program, and I have a lot of respect for that. But my heart was always telling me Wisconsin. The coaching staff is unbeatable and I just felt it was the best place for me. Coach Breckterfield really wants to coach me and just kept saying how great of a fit I was for them."

Who will Jarvis now turn his attention to in an effort to fill out UW's junior class?

"I've talked to all the other commits so far," he said. "I know we're trying to get T.J. (Bollers) and (Nolan) Rucci, we're trying to hit them hard. RJ (Regan) as well."

The Badgers currently have 13 known commitments in the 2021 class.