Wisconsin Badgers Commitment 101: Three-star OL James Durand

The Wisconsin Badgers added three-star offensive lineman James Durand to their 2023 recruiting class Friday. Here's what Durand's commitment means for head coach Paul Chryst moving forward.

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At 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds, Durand has the size and athletic ability to play all five spots along the offensive line. Wisconsin, however, projects the three-star prospect from Basha High School in Arizona to work on the interior when he arrives in Madison.

“I’m not aware of what Wisconsin has in store for him as far as position, but I do think he’s capable of playing all five spots on the offensive line,” Basha head coach Chris McDonald told BadgerBlitz.com. “I could see him playing on the interior because he’s tough, nasty and he gets after it. You look for that in all linemen, but especially at guard because you want to be strong up the middle in the apex. He has the mental makeup and the attitude to really succeed there."

Looking at Durand's junior tape, Basha's offense runs almost exclusively out of the shotgun in three- and four-receiver sets. With that, we see a lot of pass blocking from Durand's left tackle spot. He's able to get his body out in space and set a nice base with his lower body and hips. At tackle, you'd like to see more violent strikes at the point of contact in favor of leaning and reaching into a defender, which shows up on a few clips. But when Durand locks in, he's looking to drive the person across from him into the ground.

At guard or center in Wisconsin's offense, there will be a learning curve as a run blocker, especially coming from a pass-happy high school scheme. Durand will be asked to pull at times, something we see at the 2:45 mark of the tape below. It's a small sample, but Durand moves fluidly and isn't clunky as he shifts within the trenches. I'd like to see more of him moving into the second level and attacking linebackers, but the bulk of the film is pass blocking.

“He’s pushing 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds,” McDonald said. “He's participating in track right now and is focused on the discus. He’s going to state on Wednesday to throw and I think he’s currently No. 3 in the state right now. He’s very long with a wingspan of about 6-foot-11. He’s 300-plus pounds on the bench, 300-plus on cleans and he squats 400-plus. He has very long arms, so it’s harder for him to bench because of that length. But he has great hip flexibility and he can put his butt to his ankles when he squats. He can dunk a basketball and he’s a great all-around athlete."

This doesn't show up on tape, but Durand and future position coach Bob Bostad, who served as the lead recruiter in his recruitment, appear to be an ideal match. Bostad is known as a demanding but consistent assistant, and Durand is looking to coached hard when he arrives on campus.

"I absolutely love Coach Bostad," Durand told BadgerBlitz.com. "He works his kids hard, and my bond with him is so strong. I know that when you come into his room, you’re gonna work, and we liked that hard-working aspect.

"It doesn’t matter if it’s the spring or fall before your last game, you’re still going to work just as hard on that same day. I just love that mindset and between the two of us, that was our common ground."

“The mental makeup stood out to Wisconsin,” McDonald added. “Obviously James has the physical intangibles that got him recruited. But then when you meet the young man, he’s kind of an old soul. He’s been raised very well by his parents. He wants to be coached hard and he wants to be pushed. He’s not really a social media, ‘hey look at me’ guy. Not out there chasing offers, he just wants to show up and go to work and impose his will on the field. I think coaches saw a breath of fresh air when they met him because it’s just hard to find kids like him these days.

“For James, I think it was the culture he saw at Wisconsin. I think he was very impressed with how they ran their practice, but also their family atmosphere. He felt the players on the current team and the coaches there really emphasized team work, leadership and mental toughness – all qualities that James has as well. I think he just felt it was a good fit from the standpoint.”