Deangelo Clay’s heart dropped when he opened his bag inside Camp Randall Stadium last week.

But never fear, Mom came to the rescue.

Clay, a 2027 in-state recruit who plays for nearby Monona Grove, participated in the University of Wisconsin football program’s second camp dedicated to linemen and edge rushers on June 10. He already previously attended one camp in Eau Claire, and at some point between the two, he misplaced one of his cleats.

Imagine being a teenager and trying to impress college coaches, only to realize you’re missing a key piece of your equipment. Clay tried to play it cool and keep his emotions under control, and he notified his mother about the situation. He warmed up and performed the 10-yard dash in his tennis shoes, but as his group was getting ready for the 5-10-5 drill, she arrived with brand new cleats from a store about 15 minutes away.

That flipped a switch of sorts once he put them on.

“Definitely felt some type of energy,” Clay said.

Clay said he measured in at 5-foot-11 and 244 pounds at Wisconsin’s camp, but as seen in a social media video from Monona Grove defensive coordinator Ryan Kleppe, he unleashed his power against bigger competition during a 1-on-1 rep.

“I feel like I played definitely good,” Clay said. “I think there’s a lot of things I could have done better, for sure, but I feel like that’s everything you do. Nothing’s 100% perfect.

“But I feel I play with aggression. I came in with a chip on my shoulder. I kind of feel like I want to show out for these coaches.”

Wisconsin defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow reached out the following day.

“And then we just kept texting and texting,” Clay said. “Then he finally called me, congratulating me for the camp and domination.

“And then that’s what he offered me as a walk-on. That was definitely great.”

Clay dominated the trenches during his junior season at Monona Grove, as according to Bound Wisconsin, he racked up 80 tackles, 25 tackles for loss and nine sacks. He also reportedly scored two touchdowns running the ball in 2025.

Clay announced that preferred walk-on offer from Wisconsin on June 11, but he has also declared other offers from Division II Bemidji State, Minnesota State, Sioux Falls and Upper Iowa. He was anticipating heading to a South Dakota State camp Thursday as of earlier this week.

Badger Observer wasn’t at that June 10 camp but attended the other three sessions earlier this month, which we discussed on ESPN Madison’s “Jump Around” podcast Thursday. Here are some of the standouts from each of those events.

3 defensive recruits among the highlights from June 3 camp

Read more

Taylor Freeland decided to deliver some good news to Kelly Sheffield late Monday night.

She may not have taken the time difference into account when doing so.

Read more

There was little break for Dana Rettke transitioning from her latest professional season in Turkey to representing her home country in international competition.

But it’s an acclimation the legendary University of Wisconsin middle blocker is quite used to over the last seven years.

Rettke’s set to debut in the 2026 Volleyball Nationals League for the United States Women’s National Team, which faces the Dominican Republic on Tuesday in Pasig City, Philippines. It’s been a dream come true for her to don the jersey, something she doesn’t take for granted even with this being her sixth VNL appearance. She won gold as a member of the American team in the 2019 tournament, and this’ll be her fifth consecutive time playing for the U.S. in this tournament dating back to 2022. This is all in addition to the silver medal she won during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Rettke’s learned and adjusted to the level of preparation it takes to flip this quick switch. Playing professionally overseas can be really challenging, but she said at some point that it does become comfortable. The flip side of returning stateside may make life more comfortable, but then there’s earning your spot on the U.S. Women’s National team.

The organization unveiled its 2026 VNL preliminary roster last month that includes 30 talented players, and its Week 2 roster had 15 who were expected to travel to the Philippines. So she’s playing in different environments with teammates she may not be as familiar with, who they themselves also may come from different systems and coaches.

“There is a level of an adjustment that I do have to be very mindful of, because it’s definitely not something where it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s just like we’re back in America. It’s normal,’” Rettke said last week. “It’s like, no, you got to be ready to compete and train at a high level and have really good communication skills with the coaches, with your teammates, because you don’t have that much time in America to be competing altogether.

“We’re really only training for three-and-a-half, four months out of the year. And then we all go to Europe or stay in the States to play on our pro teams, so time is so precious.”

Read more

MADISON, Wis. — Korz Loken worked with his future collegiate position coach this weekend, but that wasn’t exactly set in stone until recently.

It may have been only a couple days ago, according to Loken, that he asked tight ends coach Nate Letton if he should attend the University of Wisconsin football program’s final summer camp Sunday. Loken’s not the first commit to participate in a Wisconsin camp this summer, as offensive linemen Ethan McIntosh, Cole Reiter and Hunter and Reece Mallinger were in town last Sunday to work with Badgers assistants Eric Mateos and Casey Rabach.

So there was Loken, one of the consensus four-star recruits in the Badgers’ 2027 class, among approximately 175 high school players inside Camp Randall Stadium.

“I just really wanted to come out here and be able to work with coach Letton,” Loken said. “Allow him to kind of coach me up and shape me up to where he’s gonna want me to be when I get here, and then just compete, you know?

“I love to compete, so coming out here, being able to catch some great balls from some good quarterbacks, and face some really good DBs and linebackers. Super fun, and I’m really glad I came.”

Read more

The University of Wisconsin football program’s busy summer start continues this weekend, but this time it’s looking to impress recruits in an upcoming class.

Coach Luke Fickell and the Badgers staff just completed two consecutive weekends of official visits that have resulted in eight verbal commitments for its 2027 class, and the program now has 22 commits total for this recruiting cycle. The only 2027 recruit now expected in town for an official visit this weekend is Jack Tabbert, the offensive lineman from in-state Pewaukee who flipped from North Dakota State to Wisconsin after his performance at camp Sunday.

But the program will host several highly-regarded 2028 recruits for its “Bucky’s BBQ” event that it’s been holding annually. Here’s who’s slated to be in Madison as of Saturday morning.

A key quarterback target anticipated on campus

Wisconsin’s hosted Matthew Lee (Wilmette Loyola, Illinois) previously, which included an unofficial visit for an April spring practice. Lee’s a three-star recruit who’s the No. 24 quarterback in the nation for the 2028 class by 247Sports.

He’s announced Power Four offers from Kansas State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Wisconsin hosting a substantial amount of 4-star talent

Read more

A trip to visit friends in SEC country led Sam Dekker down the road to a new chapter of his basketball journey.

It all happened very organically, and as the former University of Wisconsin basketball standout stated last week, he “wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Dekker, who helped lead Wisconsin to two consecutive Final Four berths, wouldn’t say he never envisioned becoming a coach. But the former first round NBA Draft pick focused on being a player and didn’t have many thoughts about getting into that profession. He had an outline, however, of certain things coaches did that he loved and didn’t love in case he ever went that route.

That time’s come now as Dekker reunited with former Wisconsin assistant Lamont Paris, who’s leading South Carolina’s men’s basketball team. The Gamecocks announced Dekker’s hire as an assistant on May 15.

“It was a real whirlwind,” Dekker said.

Read more

There have been some great starts to the summer for coach Luke Fickell and his University of Wisconsin football program since he arrived in Madison.

Summer official visits have become the norm for college football since 2018, as previously discussed, and they’ve been indisputably important to the Badgers and the vast majority of other FBS programs in constructing their annual rosters with priority targets. Fickell and his staff have hosted dozens of recruits beginning with the 2024 class, whose trips to Madison were in 2023, and their recruiting efforts have paid off during two particular stretches.

That would be during Wisconsin’s designated first and second weekends of summer official visits that spanned from late May to early June. The program’s already seen the fruits of its labor for its 2027 class from the weekend of May 29-31. It hosted only six players who weren’t committed to the program entering their visits, and five have given their verbal pledge thereafter.

Those include wide receiver Jai Jones (Chandler, Arizona), linebacker Nathan Jones (Goodyear Desert Edge, Arizona), cornerbacks Royalton Allen (Oak Hills, California) and Mekhi Williams (Ruskin Lennard, Florida), and outside linebacker Darin Graham (Chicago Mount Carmel). The lone recruit who didn’t, three-star wide receiver Tavares Powell (Bradenton Manatee, Florida), announced his commitment to Kansas on June 7.

Since all six of those 2027 players have already declared decisions, Badger Observer decided to crunch some data. We compiled lists of those recruits who were not committed to the program who traveled to Madison for the first full weekend of summer official visits under Fickell since the 2024 class. We then sorted out who eventually gave verbal commitments to the Badgers, and who didn’t.

The raw data

Read more

Jack Tabbert heard the good news he was hoping for less than 24 hours after betting on himself.

Tabbert, who had been committed to North Dakota State since March, didn’t have to travel far from Pewaukee on Sunday to participate in the University of Wisconsin football team’s “Big Man Showcase” inside Camp Randall Stadium. He thought he could have fixed some technique issues during the camp that featured offensive linemen, defensive linemen and edge rushers, so there was some nervousness. But after it concluded, Wisconsin offensive line coach Eric Mateos told him that he’d watch film and be in touch a day later.

“And I got the call at 1 p.m. (Monday), and (Mateos) said that I need to be a Wisconsin offensive lineman,” Tabbert said.

Read more

MADISON, Wis. — Four future University of Wisconsin football offensive linemen didn’t need to compete for an offer, or really prove anything this weekend. But they received some extra work with their future position coaches.

Ethan McIntosh, Cole Reiter and twin brothers Hunter and Reece Mallinger all announced their verbal commitments to Wisconsin between November and April, but they were among the dozens of players at the program’s first “Big Man Showcase” of the summer on Sunday. The camp featured offensive and defensive linemen, along with edge rushers, participating in positional drills and 1-on-1 situations.

That allowed the four in-state recruits to receive guidance from offensive line coach Eric Mateos and assistant offensive line coach Casey Rabach.

“He’s got infinite knowledge, and I’m just trying to be a sponge and suck up as much as I can,” McIntosh said of Mateos. “Get as much time with him as I can to learn from him, become the best player I could be.”

Read more

The University of Wisconsin football program added a multi-faceted wide receiver to its highly-regarded 2027 class.

Steele Harris, who plays for Great Falls High School in Montana, announced Sunday his commitment via Rivals/On3 while still in town for Wisconsin’s second set of summer official visits this weekend. He’s now part of a 20-player 2027 class for the Badgers that currently ranks 13th in the nation by 247Sports and 23rd by Rivals/On3 as of early Sunday afternoon.

“I feel like I really just felt the love and hospitality from not only the coaches but the players,” Harris said of his decision. “I feel like they believe in me, they believe in what I am and what I can be, and I feel like I can be a good fit in this school.”

Harris is a three-star recruit who has tweeted Power Four offers from Arizona State, California, Illinois, Iowa State, Michigan State, Northwestern and Utah. He told Badger Observer on Sunday afternoon that he planned on taking an official visit to Cal next week.

Harris, listed at 6 foot 3 and 190 pounds on Hudl, does a lot on both sides of the ball for Great Falls and coach Coda Tchida. Tchida previously called Harris a “three-level receiver” who can reel in shallow screens and stretch defenses on deep throws. The recruit’s also an “exceptional blocker” and has played on the outside, in the slot and as the Bison’s third inside receiver.

Harris is projected to play in Ari Confesor’s wide out group at Wisconsin, joining four-star recruit Jai Jones (Chandler, Arizona) in this 2027 class. It appears Harris also could be utilized in multiple ways within Wisconsin’s offense under coordinator Jeff Grimes.

“We had a good conversation with coach Grimes and coach Confesor,” Harris said. “I feel like me being a versatile guy, I feel like I can make an impact on not only being an outside receiver but moving around, playing inside a little bit.

“So I feel like the just the way this offense is structured, I feel like I’ll be able to fit in.”

Senior wide receiver Jaylon Domingeaux was Harris’ host for the weekend. Domingeaux transferred to Wisconsin from Southeastern Louisiana this offseason and flashed his potential during the program’s 15 spring practices.

“He kept it real, for sure,” Harris said. “That’s one of the things I appreciate about him, he kept it real. He told me straight up, like this is a school where you’re gonna have to work for what you want to get. I mess with that.

“So he also told me that he loves it here, and I know he won’t lie to me, because that’s my guy. So I took his word for it, and can’t wait for what the future has to hold.”

Henri MacArthur just began coaching Nathan Jones earlier this year, but he was already very familiar with one of the newest University of Wisconsin football commits.

MacArthur’s the football coach at Goodyear Desert Edge in Arizona, which has produced current Wisconsin linebacker Jon Jon Kamara and 2027 uncommitted recruit Yahzeen Zion (who is on an official visit to Wisconsin this weekend). MacArthur will coach Jones this season, but the projected linebacker was on the opposite sidelines the last two years for Scottsdale Notre Dame.

MacArthur believes he’s the best defensive player the Scorpions played against in that time.

“He obviously has immense amount of talent and size and strength, but the motor and physicality in which he plays with really, really set him apart,” MacArthur said. “There’s no escaping him on any play, because he’s trying to ruin the game for you every single play he’s in.”

Read more

One of the University of Wisconsin football program’s key targets visiting this weekend is “a late bloomer,” according to his football coach. But he’s already a four-star 2027 recruit with notable Power Four suitors pursuing him.

Yahzeen Zion, who plays for Goodyear Desert Edge in Arizona, is one of the players in Madison this weekend for Wisconsin’s second set of official visits. It’s a smaller group of recruits compared to the 19 who made it to town a week ago. Six were anticipated as of Friday morning, but the Badgers’ staff hopes for continued momentum to start the month of June. Four players have announced verbal commitments since Sunday, which included four-star defensive back Mekhi Williams.

Among those new commits also included Zion’s teammate at Goodyear Desert Edge, linebacker Nathan Jones.

Zion released his top five schools last month, which included Miami, Oklahoma, LSU, Florida and Wisconsin.

“He was more of a basketball kid, so his recruiting kind of started late. But Yahzeen to me, is the most talented interior defensive lineman I’ve ever seen at the high school level in Arizona in person, whether playing for us or anybody else,” Goodyear Desert Edge football coach Henri MacArthur said.

Read more

Badger Observer’s also expected to be at Sunday’s first “Big Man Showcase,” so expect more camp photos and observations forthcoming, plus more on the fallout from official visits.

The good vibes from the University of Wisconsin football program’s first weekend of official visits continued as a consensus four-star recruit declares his intentions to head to Madison.

Defensive back Mekhi Williams, who plays for Ruskin Lennard in Florida, announced Wednesday via 247Sports that he committed to Wisconsin. That outlet currently evaluates him as the No. 10 player in the state of Florida and No. 105 overall player in the nation for the 2027 class.

“I was building a relationship with the coaches, and the relationship between us was just strong. I couldn’t turn that down,” Williams told 247Sports. “And the academic programs right there are just great. So that was the reason why I chose Wisconsin.”

Here’s what to know about Williams, who is now part of a 17-player class for Wisconsin that is ranked among the top 25 programs in the nation for this recruiting cycle.

Williams is a versatile player at the prep level

Williams’ height and length, which is listed as 6 foot 2 and 169 pounds on Hudl, fits the mold of what Wisconsin has looked for at the cornerback position during coach Luke Fickell’s time in Madison.

247Sports and On3’s profiles of Williams both show him designated as a safety, though according to a source, the program currently envisions him at the boundary corner spot. But he’s been used all over the field for Ruskin Lennard.

Read more

The University of Wisconsin football staff still has its fastball during the first weekend of official visits.

Wisconsin hosted its first set of recruits on official visits this past weekend as the program looks to wrap up the vast majority of its 2027 class this summer. Summer official visits, which started in 2018, have led to success for the Badgers dating back to the Paul Chryst era. But coach Luke Fickell, director of recruiting Pat Lambert and other personnel have arguably taken Wisconsin’s precedent to a higher level during this critical time of the recruiting calendar.

Good news quickly came Sunday with two verbal commitments. Four-star wide receiver Jai Jones first announced his verbal commitment via On3 in the early afternoon. Then three-star linebacker Nathan Jones declared his intentions to become a Badger in the evening, which was first reported by Badger Blitz.

That puts Wisconsin at 15 announced commits for its 2027 class as of Monday morning.

Defensive lineman Hank Weber and four-star offensive linemen Kevin Heywood and Ryan Cory all announced verbal commitments in the days immediately following the first weekend of 2023 summer official visits, which was during Fickell’s first year in Madison. Offensive lineman Logan Powell unveiled his while still on his official visit the first June weekend of 2024. Four-star linebacker (and current starter) Mason Posa also told coaches during that time that he would be a Badger.

Last year’s first wave of official visitors produced verbal commitments from 2026 recruits such as linebacker Ben Wenzel, defensive linemen Djidjou Bah and Arthur Scot, and tight end Jack Sievers.

Here are three other takeaways from the weekend.

Arizona pipeline forthcoming?

Read more

The University of Wisconsin football program’s had a strong start this recruiting cycle. But these next few weeks could fill out the vast majority of its 2027 class, and a versatile defensive back from Florida’s Gulf Coast is one of many recruits to keep tabs on.

Wisconsin enters its first weekend of summer official visits with 13 commits, nine of which are in-state players. But the program still doesn’t have a projected cornerback amongst its 2026 class, though position coach Robert Steeples and the staff have made significant inroads with current Florida State commit Mekhi Williams.

Williams plays for Ruskin Lennard, which is south of Tampa. He’s a consensus four-star recruit that’s currently evaluated as the No. 107 player in the country by 247Sports.

The Longhorns have utilized Williams all over the defensive backfield since he was a freshman.

“Honestly, man, it’s hard to find a kid like him to just stick in as a safety,” Ruskin Lennard football coach KB Belton. “Early on, he did so well at safety because he was a ball hawk. He had six picks as a freshman, and he turned back around and had seven as a sophomore. And so it’s like, man, he is a safety, but then he also can go play man-to-to-man and play corner. And then he also can go play in the slot being 6 foot 3.

Read more

The current crop of University of Wisconsin football commits for the 2027 class should get plenty of time together in the coming days.

Wisconsin starts a busy recruiting stretch this weekend with its first group of players taking official visits. Spring and summer official visits have become the norm in college football since 2018, and the two Badgers coaching staffs since then have utilized these trips to show off the program, the campus and city of Madison in a much warmer light (see: temperature and what the area provides during this time of year) compared to those taken in the fall and winter.

The Badgers anticipate hosting 19 recruits this weekend, which includes all 13 players who have given verbal commitments up to this point. Those commits include the following:

• Quarterback Jack Sorgi

• Offensive linemen Hunter and Reece Mallinger, Ethan McIntosh and Cole Reiter

• Running back Kingston Allen

• Tight end Korz Loken

• Defensive linemen David Hill and Will Zaccagnino

• Linebacker Keaton Wollan

• Outside linebacker Isaac Miller

• Safeties DJ Davis and Dustin Roach

Here are more takeaways from those expected in Madison this weekend, along with what a few commits are looking forward to the most on these upcoming official visits.

Plenty of 4-star talent in Madison this weekend

Read more

Sure, Hunter and Reece Mallinger are coming off an Under Armour camp in Chicago last weekend where they faced some of the region’s best competition. But life’s a little calmer, and the noise of their recruiting processes has dulled after their verbal commitments to the University of Wisconsin football program earlier this spring.

The twin brothers received substantial Power Four interest in the last year, as they each announced offers from such programs as defending national champion Indiana, Central Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Minnesota and Northwestern. Yet they declared their intentions to become Badgers, and they’re currently part of a Wisconsin class that ranks in the Top 25 nationally by both 247Sports and On3/Rivals.

“It’s been really nice, and it’s been pretty chill,” Hunter said. “That’s kind of the biggest thing that we were hoping for. The whole recruiting process is a hectic process, just calling coaches, getting texts every single day, all day.

“It can get a little long, it can get a little boring, and get obviously stressful. So it was really nice just getting it over with, and now we can just focus on our upcoming senior season.”

Read more

Korz Loken’s seen the number of future teammates substantially increase since his January commitment to the University of Wisconsin football program. But the Badgers’ 2027 class could expand even further during a critical month of recruiting ahead.

Loken, a consensus four-star recruit from Iola-Scandinavia, is currently part of a 13-player class for the Badgers as summer official visits commence this week. It’s a collection of players that includes nine in-state recruits and a Wisconsin legacy in quarterback Jack Sorgi. Though the transfer portal has become a significant aspect of roster building in the current landscape of college football, high school recruiting is still a significant aspect of constructing a program. Coach Luke Fickell and his staff could lock in the vast majority of its remaining 2027 class in the coming weeks.

“I think our class is doing really good so far. I know we have all the in-state guys, and we’re really rallying to get some out-of-state guys to come as well,” Loken said. “I think the biggest thing for us is just stay strong, continue building this class, continue getting new commits, and continue keeping the quality of the class up.

Read more

The search to replace Chris McIntosh as the new University of Wisconsin athletic director commenced nearly two weeks ago. The university recently gave some answers as to the process, but there’s still plenty to wonder about what’s ahead and who could fill this prominent role.

We found out that Interim-Chancellor Eric Wilcots “will ultimately make the appointment,” according to the May 12 release from UW’s office of strategic communication. There are other stakeholders, as an announced search committee consisting of nine members who will provide advice to Wilcots. They include prominent alumni such as Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard, hockey standout Megan Duggan (who’s now the New Jersey Devils’ director of player development in the NHL) and former basketball standout Michael Finley (who been part of the Dallas Mavericks).

Also helping is CSA Search and Consulting, and the release gives a timeline for when they anticipate the AD taking over. That would be this summer.

“The director of athletics will lead us into a new era of Wisconsin Athletics during a transformational time in college athletics,” Wilcots said in the release. “We will be thoughtful, deliberate, and open-minded as we embark on this search to identify an individual who shares our values and vision and who will move our athletics program forward.”

Marcus Sedberry, who has held a variety of roles at Wisconsin that most recently includes its football general manager position, has assumed interim athletic director duties while the process plays out. But here are some questions Badger Observer has while the search is ongoing.

Does Wisconsin consider someone with connections to the university?

Read more