Wisconsin Badgers Commitment 101: Four-star OL Derek Jensen

The Wisconsin Badgers added four-star offensive lineman Derek Jensen to their 2024 recruiting class Sunday.

Here's what Jensen's commitment means for head coach Luke Fickell moving forward.

Derek Jensen, the No. 4 in-state prospect in the 2024 class, is a big, powerful and aggressive offensive tackle who plays with a nasty streak. At 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds, Jensen has a huge frame and would already be one of the biggest lineman on Wisconsin's current roster. Body- and skillset-wise, Jensen should remind recruiting fans of Trey Wedig, who is currently listed at 6-foot-7 and 322 pounds on the spring roster. Jensen will be a four-year varsity performer for the Warhawks this fall.

"I think as a sophomore he was a baby giraffe who was still trying to figure out how to play at 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-7 and moving in that body," Arrowhead head coach Matthew Harris told BadgerBlitz.com. "He was only 16 years old and during that season he was only that tall for a few months. So learning everything and going through that whole process with a massive growth at that time in his life, that takes a little a lot both physically and mentally. Making that jump from sophomore to junior year, he’s a lot more mature all the way around. Right now he’s playing fast and he’s playing smart - all the things that you could ask for."

The Badgers are recruiting Jensen as an offensive tackle, but his skillset could allow him to moving inside to guard, if needed. The all-state pick looks to drive his opponent into the ground and transitions from level to level well. On tape, there are a handful of plays where Jensen moves a defensive lineman out of the way and then goes onto a linebacker. He has a huge lower half but still has room to fill out in the upper body.

"I don’t know enough about the new offense to say for sure," Harris said. "I think he can play either spot and I actually think he could be a great guard at the next level, so we’ll see if that happens. He’d be a huge guard but he’s really fast for his size at 330 pounds. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a kid move like that at that size. But he’s really good in pass protection from right tackle and I think they can pound the ball with him. By the time they’re done with him he’s going to be a 6-foot-7, 350-pound mean machine and he’ll be a darn good road grader.

It will be interesting to see how Jensen and other bigger tackles hold up with the wider splits and increased tempo under Jack Bicknell Jr. and Phil Longo. Will Jensen struggle in space at his size, or will the staff continue to fine tune his hand and foot techniques? Arrowhead moves at a quicker pace at the high school level, so the offense at UW shouldn't be a total transition for Jensen.