Luke Fickell Quickly Turns Around Wisconsin's Recruiting, Nearing Greatest Class In Program History

Luke Fickell wasted absolutely no time before turning around Wisconsin's recruiting.

One of the biggest problems at the end of Paul Chryst's tenure was that recruiting had fallen apart. It seemed like it was no longer a priority.

Losing a step in recruiting is a death sentence in college football. Chryst was fired after five games into the 2022 season, and the former Cincy coach has been tasked with injecting life back into the proud Badgers program.

Wisconsin football fans have very high hopes for Luke Fickell. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Luke Fickell already turning around Wisconsin.

Well, he's already putting in work on the recruiting front. The highest-ranked recruiting class was in 2021 when it ranked 16th in the nation on 247Sports.

Currently, Wisconsin's 2024 class sits at 19th in the country on 247Sports, and that's with more time to add players and for current commits to improve further.

That means Luke Fickell is on the verge of bringing in Wisconsin's greatest recruiting class ever before coaching a single regular season game. Obviously, the 2023 class happened, but you have to look at that as a bit of a gap year just as you would for any other first year coach.

Luke Fickell is already turning around Wisconsin recruiting. (Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports)

Fickell is bringing in some serious talent to Madison.

Luke Fickell hit the transfer portal hard when he first came to Madison, and landed some major additions.

Most notably, he added QBs Tanner Mordecai, Nick Evers and Braedyn Locke. The QB position had turned into a bad joke in Madison.

In one off season, Fickell turned the QB room into one of the team's best strengths. He also landed WR C.J. Williams.

Wisconsin quarterback Tanner Mordecai will lead the offense in 2023. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA Today Sports Network)

The 2024 class is shaping up to be a great one for Wisconsin.

In the 2024 class, the Badgers currently have 20 commits led by four star RB Dilin Jones and four star TE Grant Stec. Mabrey Mettauer, a composite four star QB, is also the class' passer.

Mattauer chose the Badgers over Ole Miss, Miami, UNC, LSU, Florida, Arkansas and several other premier programs. Hopes are incredibly high for Mettauer, who looks straight out of Remember the Titans.

What once was a major problem for the Badgers is now rolling under Luke Fickell's leadership. The impressiveness of the fact he's compiled a class that is nearing the greatest in program history before coaching a single regular season game can't be overstated.

The Wisconsin Badgers and Luke Fickell open week one against Buffalo in Madison at Camp Randall. You can absolutely expect the stadium to be rocking.