Over the next two weeks, BadgerBlitz.com will be bringing you snapshots for each recruited position, covering the targets who are legitimate prospects on Wisconsin's board in the 2023 class. We will discuss the candidates who are most interested in the Badgers, as well as those who are considered long shots to commit to UW.
As always, this is just a snapshot in time and things remain fluid. Additional offered targets will appear over the next few months and some recruits will inevitably choose other colleges.
Today, we continue with a look at the defensive linemen.
QUICK BREAKDOWN
Wisconsin will lose starter Matt Henningsen to the NFL and top reserve Bryson Williams to graduation, but position coach Ross Kolodziej received big news during bowl prep when Keeanu Benton announced "at this point, I'm thinking about coming back."
With Benton, an all-Big Ten second-team pick this fall, and end Isaiah Mullens anchoring the line next year, Kolodziej's group should be a position of strength, especially if Rodas Johnson and James Thompson continue to trend in the right direction. One area of concern, however, is the lack of depth behind Benton, where the Badgers will likely look towards Gio Paez during spring camp.
On the recruiting front, Kolodziej helped secure signatures from three-star tackle Curtis Neal and three-star end Tristan Monday in the 2022 class. In the following cycle, the Badgers are involved with a handful of national targets at both tackle and end.
OFFERED TARGETS
Kayden McDonald, the No. 5 defensive tackle in the country, visited Wisconsin in June. The four-star junior was expected to return this fall, but that trip never materialized.
"Coach K (Kolodziej) said I'm a perfect fit in their defense," McDonald told BadgerBlitz.com. "I’m a guy that could come in and make a difference. Only thing we didn’t get to do was sit down and go over film with me. My mom and I were in Coach Chryst’s office talking, so we kind of ran out of time. Coach K is cool and he knows what he’s doing. It feels like I've known him for a long time. He was with us from the time the workout ended until we left for the airport. The city was nice and the campus is beautiful."
Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Louisville, Michigan State, Mississippi, North Carolina State and Tennessee, among others, are also involved in McDonald's recruitment.
