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 offensive linemen.
QUICK BREAKDOWN
Position coach Jack Bicknell Jr. talked about using "seven, eight guys" in the spring due to the perceived depth at the position. That never came to fruition this fall, and UW almost exclusively ran out (from left to right) Jack Nelson, Joe Huber, Tanor Bortolini, Michael Furtney and Riley Mahlman in 2023.
This month, Bortolini declared for the NFL Draft while reserves Trey Wedig (has since landed at Indiana) and Dylan Barrett entered the transfer portal. With that, the returning nucleus in 2024 is expected to be Nelson, Huber, Mahlman, Joe Brunner, Jake Renfro, Nolan Rucci and J.P. Benzschawel. That group will be joined by five scholarship signees from the senior class.
In the following cycle, Wisconsin already has a commitment from top tackle prospect Michael Roeske. The Badgers are also in the mix for some elite talent from across the country.
COMMITTED PROSPECTS
In November, Michael Roeske chose the Badgers over scholarships from Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Michigan. He was commit No. 3 for UW in the 2025 cycle, along with quarterback Landyn Locke and defensive back Remington Moss.
"Coach (Jack) Bicknell and Coach (Luke) Fickell were both shocked and surprised," Roeske told BadgerBlitz.com. "Casey (Rabach) had known for the past couple days and kept him mouth shut. So Bicknell and Fickell didn't know yet. They were both ecstatic that I was committing. Fickell said we need some big bastards like you to stay in Wisconsin
"I'm glad that I found such a great place like Wisconsin. They really make it feel like home. The future is bright for this program and I'm glad to say that I'm a part of it. I'm kind of glad that the recruiting process is over but I'm also glad I found such a great place to call home."
