With Signing Day in the rearview mirror, BadgerBlitz.com will be bringing readers snapshots for each recruited position, covering the targets who are legitimate prospects on Wisconsin's board in the 2025 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
There's no bigger position of need for the Badgers this offseason than the defensive line, a group that has been largely mediocre in 2023. Wisconsin needs impact players up front in order to compete at a higher level, but every school in the country has been scouring that aisle in the transfer portal store this month. So far, UW has sent known offers out to Joey Slackman (committed to Florida), Anthony Johnson (Illinois), Travis Bates, Kelvin Gilliam Jr. and Ayobami Tifase (has taken an official). More will likely need to be handed out in the future.
Rodas Johnson (transfer portal), Darian Varner (portal), Gio Paez (graduation), Isaac Townsend (graduation) and Isaiah Mullens (graduation) are on their way out, but the group should return arguably its top player in James Thompson Jr. Reserve contributors Ben Barten, Curt Neal and Cade McDonald should also see plenty of time in the bowl game against LSU. Freshman Jamel Howard will be relied up to contribute in Year 2 with the program in 2024.
On the recruiting front, the Badgers hit big with a Signing Day signature from four-star end Ernest Willor. Position coach Greg Scruggs needs to ride that momentum into the 2025 class as UW looks to stack talent at the position.
TOP OFFERED TARGETS
Jaylen Williams is one of the most heavily-recruited prospects in the Midwest. Plenty of Big Ten and SEC schools are involved with the Rivals250 talent, and the Badgers are also firmly in the mix. Williams, who was offered in January, visited on July 29 and was back in October for another unofficial. He is as important to UW as any prospect in the 2025 class.
