Wisconsin Badgers Commitment 101: Three-star OL Emerson Mandell

The Wisconsin Badgers added offensive lineman Emerson Mandell to their 2024 recruiting class Tuesday.

Here's what the three-star prospect's commitment means for head coach Luke Fickell moving forward.

Story: Wisconsin offered Mandell, 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, in April of 2023 during an unofficial visit. The Badgers got him back on campus in June for an official. Mandell racked up offers from Iowa State, Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Penn State and Texas A&M, among many others, during the course of his recruitment. He visited Minnesota, UW and Iowa State officially last month.

Primary recruiter: Jack Bickell Jr.

Comparison on the current roster: James Durand

Quick take: Four seemed liked an appropriate scholarship number on the offensive line in this cycle, but the staff wanted to add a fifth in order to build up the future depth and avoid the transfer portal at the position. The two prospects UW was focused in on over the last few weeks were Mandell and Ronan O'Connell (committed to Clemson on July 4), two linemen the staff couldn't go wrong with. There were plenty of questions about Jack Bicknell Jr. this spring, but the veteran position coach responded in a big way over the last five or six weeks.

Mandell is a strong and explosive prospect who plays with a nasty streak. With him and Ryan Cory penciled in at guard or center at the next level - along with James Durand in the 2023 class - the future on the inside looks bright. It's a small sample size, but it doesn't look like UW will forcing 6-foot-6 linemen to play guard moving forward, even though the Badgers clearly had a ton of success on the offensive line over the last 25-plus year. Mandell is a very strong piece for the Badgers in this class and probably someone who is in line for a ratings bump in the near future.