Luke Fickell, Wisconsin signed 14 players during the early signing period
Madison — Wisconsin entered Wednesday with 12 known commitments for the class of 2023, eight from former employees and four since Luke Fickel was named head football coach.
Fickel and his staff added two intriguing bits on Wednesday when defensive back Amari Snowden and wide receiver Trish Kikahuna announced they planned to attend UW.
Snowden, 6-foot-3 and 187 pounds, announced before reporters met with Fickle. He had narrowed his roster to UW, Colorado, Cincinnati, West Virginia, and Howard.
Kikahuna announced after Fickel spoke of the dismissal and his decision was surprising. He committed to previous employees, did not commit after firing Paul Crist, committed to Arizona on Saturday and then chose UW on Wednesday.
Curiously, Fickel was asked about the possibility of adding players in key positions before the announcement of Kekahuna’s signing.
His response: “The possibility with a wide receiver is that, whether it’s getting some things finalized either today or in January, there are some things we’ve been doing that we hope we can close the deal here soon.”
Consider the transaction closed.
Snowden, Ohio safety Brayden Moore and linebacker Jonas Duclona initially committed to Cincinnati but did not commit after Fickel took the UW job.
“These are the guys we’ve known for two years,” Fickel said. “I’m not saying we went after everyone we had a relationship with, or knew in our time in Cincinnati. There were others who went other places.
“These are the people we knew best, we knew darn well and we really think they don’t just fit here as a player, but they fit in the culture and all the things that are expected of them.”
Snowden’s decision to choose UW was interesting because he initially planned to play football and baseball in Cincinnati. UW, of course, does not have a varsity baseball team.
“We had to really find out where his heart was,” Fickel said. “We had no doubt (about) how good the player was and where he would fit best.
“But it was about: ‘Are you willing to give up baseball and hone your skills in one[sport]?'” “
Snowden was.
Nine members of the class plan to play defense.
Six of these players are expected to play in the secondary.
They are:
Justin Taylor from Illinois, Jess Arnold from Georgia, AJ Tisdale from Texas, Snowden, Moore and Ducluna.
Fickel reiterated that he and his coaches would continue recruiting through the traditional signing day, February 1.
Two areas of concern are the offensive and defensive lines.
UW only signed one offensive lineman Wednesday, James Durand from Arizona State. The Badgers did not sign any defensive linemen, though the staff continued to recruit tackle Jamal Howard from Chicago.
“I think there will be some options and some opportunities in January,” he said. “The defensive line will definitely be the focus.”
UW could enter the spring and next season with one bottom quarterback.
The Badgers lost Isaac Guerendo to the transfer gate and signed just one running back Wednesday, Nate White from the Milwaukee King. Ohio running back Jaquez Keyes initially committed to UW but changed his mind and headed to Wake Forest.
UW has three scholarships on the list – Braelon Allen, Chez Mellosi, and Julius Davis. Allen and Melosi can turn pro after next season.
“That’s a position of strength here (traditionally),” he said, adding that he was open to adding a minor tailgating before next season. “It’s not a situation, in my opinion, that you want to go out there and find a transfer.
“I think we’ll be (body) one in our vision of what we want in the fall. I think you have a chance of losing your best players after this season. That’s what I expect, because we always expect you to have great years.
“This is another one of those situations that can turn around really quickly, so you always have to have some depth there and some confidence in these guys.”
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more:A look at the 12 players so far in Luke Fickel’s first recruiting class for the Wisconsin Badgers football team
UW continues to recruit defensive tackle Jamal Howard from Illinois. Howard was initially committed to UW but relinquished the commitment after a coaching change.
The Badgers have signed just one quarterback – Cole LaCrue from Colorado, who is scheduled to sign up in January. Oklahoma freshman Nick Evers plans to transfer and is also scheduled to enroll in January.
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