2021 OL Riley Mahlman: "It just clicked that I wanted to be a Badger"

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Published Sep 22, 2019

2021 OL Riley Mahlman: "It just clicked that I wanted to be a Badger"

Jon McNamara • BadgerBlitz

Editor

@McNamaraRivals

Riley Mahlhman, who has been on Wisconsin's campus no less than five times during the course of his recruitment, committed to the Badgers during an unofficial visit this weekend.

A 6-foot-8, 270-pound projected offensive tackle from Lakeville South High School in Minnesota, Mahlman chose UW over offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern and Ohio State.

He is commit No. 6 for head coach Paul Chryst in the 2021 class.

"Even before the game started, it just clicked that I wanted to be a Badger," Mahlman told BadgerBlitz.com. "It became real clear from the get-go. I loved the atmosphere and how much attention the football team was getting - it was awesome.

"I had great conversations with the coaches there and everyone is real nice. It's just the place for me and the coaches were real pumped when I committed. With the win over Michigan and the atmosphere at Camp Randall, I haven't seen much better than that."

Mahlman, a three-star prospect, has been in contact for some time with position coach Joe Rudolph. The Badgers were one of the first schools to get involved in his recruitment and that effort paid off this weekend.

"It does help to form the early connection and then coming back a lot," said Mahlman, who also camped in Madison this past summer. "I got to know a lot of people at Wisconsin and just felt comfortable.

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"It's so special because they can only take so many guys each year. The guys that they bring in and then send out to the NFL are top-notch guys, so it's just great to be a part of that tradition."

Mahlman joins JP Benzschawel as projected offensive line commits for the Badgers in the 2021 class.

"They have told me that they want to take three offensive linemen in this class, so it was great to get my spot," Mahlman said. "Some people may say that it's too early, but I've been recruited pretty heavily for a while and I've looked at all my options.

"Wisconsin was a clear choice and I'm excited for my future there. I'm focused on one school and I can't wait to be a Badger."

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