Wisconsin setting the pace for several Junior Day visitors

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Wisconsin hosted a big Junior Day event over the weekend as coach Luke Fickell looks to jumpstart the 2027 recruiting class. Rivals has the latest on how the weekend went and prospects the Badgers are trending with early. 

Four-star Waconia (Minn.) Shakopee defensive lineman Nehemiah Ombati was one of the top-rated prospects on campus for Junior Day. He really enjoyed his time on campus. 

“I thought the visit went great! My time in Madison was well spent but the part of the visit that stood out to me the most was the position meeting with Coach Whitlow,” Ombati said. “I got to understand the game at an even higher level after meeting with him privately.”

Those moments with Whitlow will stick with the defender for some time. 

“It was honestly one of the biggest parts of my recruiting process that I’ll always remember,” he said. “The biggest thing  I took from that meeting was that I’ve been taking the right steps to be in my best possible position come freshman year.”

The Minnesota native will be on the West Coast this weekend for visits to USC and UCLA.

Hinsdale (Ill.) Central four-star defensive lineman Tommy Riordan spent time in Madison too. The coaching staff was a standout for the Illinois native.

“The visit was awesome. The entire staff did a great job with scheduling our day,” Riordan said. “We started the day with a 30 minute meeting with Coach Fickell. Also had individual meetings with Coach Mitchel and Tressel. They took us through the new indoor facility that’s still under construction, it’s huge and has underground parking for the players.”

The overall message from coach Fickell also resonated with Riordan. 

“Coach addressed Wisconsin’s academics and culture and how those are large parts of the Badgers’ identity,” Riordan said. “It was my first time meeting with Coach so I got to know more about him and his family. We spoke about me being a multi-sport athlete playing football, lacrosse and track. Overall it was a great conversation.”

Hunter Mallinger was back on campus again last weekend. The people are the biggest reason he keeps coming back.

“Wisconsin was awesome. Mainly just the people stood out. I love the new staff hires with coach Mateos,” Mallinger said. 

“I think they are doing everything right there. Also, I loved hanging out with some of the older guys who have been through this experience before and why they chose Wisconsin. I really liked talking to the strength coach and hearing what he has to say about their program. Overall it was just another great experience!”

One of the very unique things about this visit is that his brother Reece was offered by Wisconsin on the visit. That was a special moment for the family.

“It was great seeing him earn his offer.  This was one that he was waiting for, for a long time now,” Hunter said. “We were kind of losing hope since we were told he would get one a few games into his junior season which turned into a few more games and a few more. And then the whole staff change at the oline position really made all of us wonder what would come from this. Everything so far though has been positive and it’s great that we both have the opportunity to play for our home town Badgers.

The brothers have stated they’d like to play together so this puts the Badgers squarely in the mix for both. The RPM is certainly trending that way and I’m close to making a pick of my own. 

Wisconsin, Minnesota, Northwestern, Kansas and Indiana are all in contention for official visits for both. But it’ll be tough to make them all this summer. 

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