Wisconsin vs. Illinois: Recruiting visitors list
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With the Illinois Fighting Illini coming to town for an 11 a.m. kickoff, the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams will host several key visitors this weekend for the contest.
Here is a rolling thread of notable players who will be on campus for the Illinois game.
Men's Basketball Visitors
2024 PG Daniel Freitag
Minnesota native Daniel Freitag is on campus for a second time this fall. His AAU teammate Nolan Winter just recently committed to the Badgers, and Wisconsin appears to be in the thick of things for the talented point guard out of the Twin Cities area. Freitag is also a standout football player, but Greg Gard has made him a priority for basketball.
2025 Center Kai Rogers
Wisconsin will have one of their top overall targets on campus this weekend with four-star center Kai Rogers coming to Madison. The Wauwatosa (Wis.) native is a top-100 prospect at this time and is tremendously talented. The Badgers are one of the primary contenders for Rogers, who also holds offers from Florida State, Georgetown, Illinois, Iowa, Saint John's, and Texas. Wisconsin offered Rogers back in early July.
2025 SG Jake Hansen
High school teammates with Rogers, 2025 SG Jake Hansen will also be in Madison this weekend for an unofficial visit. He has an offer from Saint John's and is an emerging player in the 2025 class. It will be interesting to see how Hansen develops in the coming years because he is another player that the Badgers could turn to with a potential offer or at the very least a walk-on opportunity given his skillset and relationship with Rogers.
Football Visitors
2024 LB Payton Pierce
Four-star linebacker Payton Pierce will be one of the top visitors this weekend. The Texas standout previously visited Madison for spring practice and he has made a number of trips this summer to see LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas, among others. Pierce is one of the best linebackers in the country for his grade and it will be interesting to see if his teammate Parker Livingstone makes the trip as well. Livingstone also holds an offer from the Badgers. Pierce's visit was first reported by 247 Sports.
2025 EDGE Christopher Burgess
Chicago edge rusher Christopher Burgess will make the trip to Madison to see Wisconsin versus Illinois. Already 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds as a sophomore, Burgess holds offers from Akron and Illinois early on. It will be interesting to see if the Badgers offer the athlete out of Simeon High School.
2024 DL Mikeshun Beeler
A high school teammate of Burgess, 2024 defensive lineman Mikeshun Beeler will also be on campus. He does not have any public offers at this time, but he has good size and is a plus athlete at this stage.
2024 EDGE Jack Limbaugh
Algona (Iowa) athlete Jack Limbaugh will visit Wisconsin this weekend. The 6-foot-4 prospect is a defensive and tight end for his high school team and has some intriguing measurables. He also plays basketball at the prep level.
2025 TE Ryan Ghea
Georgia tight end Ryan Ghea is on campus today as well. He has a very impressive offer list that includes Florida State, Ohio State, and others so far. The expectation is that Ghea will likely earn an offer this weekend.
2024 OL Ian Moore
Based on his Rivals profile, it appears four-star offensive lineman Ian Moore out of Indiana will be on campus. Moore previously visited during the summer and is a priority offensive line recruit for Wisconsin at this stage. Ohio State is the likely favorite right now, but this is a major visit for the Badgers.
2024 LB Parker Startz
Another Chicago area prospect, Parker Startz will make the short drive to Madison on Saturday as well. He has early offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Ohio, and Western Michigan. He publicly shared his visit plans on Twitter.
2023 EDGE/DL Evan Herrmann
In-state three-star Evan Herrmann out of Sussex will watch the Badgers and Illinois play. A 6-foot-6 defensive line prospect, he is a player to watch as the season goes on. He has offers from Ohio and Vanderbilt right now, but Wisconsin has steadily increased its interest level in him. It would not be a surprise to see the coaching staff extend some sort of opportunity (scholarship or walk-on) in the near future.
2025 ATH Andre Lovett
Wisconsin will host Andre Lovett for a second time this fall. He tweeted out his visit plans and it will be interesting to see if the Badgers offer the 2025 athlete out of Illinois at some point this fall. He was previously on campus for the Illinois State game and also came during the summer for an unofficial. He has early offers from Akron and Tennessee.
2024 ATH Caleb Benning
The Badgers recently offered the Nebraska product, and a little over two weeks later he is now on campus for a visit. He has plenty of ties to the Nebraska program, making his recruitment an uphill battle for the Badgers, but this is a big visit for Wisconsin's chances.
With a Tom Lemming photo shoot taking place in Madison this weekend, there will likely be more names that emerge on campus as we get closer to kickoff.
Related links:
- Wisconsin offers 2024 ATH Caleb Benning
- Wisconsin men's basketball adds 2023 forward Nolan Winter
- Wisconsin offers 2024 OL Nathan Roy
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