Since the last edition of this article, Wisconsin Badgers Football has added a couple of 4-star recruits to their 2024 class. They also added players at positions of major need. There is still time to add more talent, but it looks like the major recruiting push has come to a close for what may end up being one of the best recruiting classes of all time for Wisconsin Badgers Football.
Wisconsin Badgers Football Commits
Omillio Agard (Defensive Back)
Omillion Agard is a cornerback out of Philadelphia, Pa. The 4-star corner likely completes the Badgers’ defensive back group for the 2024 class. Agard doesn’t have the length of some of his defensive back classmates, but he may be the best in terms of technique and skill. At around 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, he is lacking the height and arm length Luke Fickell has prioritized while recruiting for the defensive back position.
Agard was in Madison in early June and bonded with Jay Harper, who was also on an official visit and committed a week after his visit. Wisconsin was chosen over Clemson, Michigan, Alabama, and Texas. The video of the commitment brought a lot of hype but didn’t give Badgers fans much hope to start. He made the right choice in the end, and his on-the-field tape shows a player with a ton of confidence.
Strengths
- Technician. Agard has incredible technique at the cornerback position and constantly puts himself in great positions on the field to make a play on the ball.
- Footwork. He has good speed but even better footwork, which allows him to drive on balls when needed or turn and run with a receiver.
- Play recognition. Agard is always in a great spot in coverage, but a lot of that is due to his football IQ. His ability to diagnose a play allows him to play even faster and be a disruptor.
- Smart physicality. This is an odd one, but he does a very good job of making physical plays without being a physical force. Whether that be pushing back blockers to disrupt a ball carrier, attacking the arms of a bigger receiver, or tackling with good technique, he finds a way to get it done with a smaller frame.
- Great use of hands. In a lot of cases, young cornerbacks use their hands to make up for poor footwork or a lack of speed. That’s not the case with Agard, as he uses his hands to compliment his great footwork and speed. He disrupts cuts and breaks with good handwork and does a good job of guiding receivers to the boundary.
Weaknesses
- Size. I don’t think this is necessarily a weakness, but since I have to put something here, this would be my only concern. Although he is incredible with technique, his lack of size could get him in trouble at the next level. I don’t see him having issues in coverage, but bringing down B1G running backs may be where we see some issues. If that’s the biggest “concern,” however, I think we are in a great spot with Agard.
Overall, this was an incredible pickup for Wisconsin Badgers Football. The talent is there in spades, and he can play outside or in the slot. He’ll likely put on a little more weight in college, but I feel like his frame won’t change a whole lot in Madison. He’s a high-floor, high-ceiling player who could contribute in some capacity right away.
Emerson Mandell (Offensive Line)
After losing a big-time in-state offensive lineman to the Gophers, Wisconsin Badgers Football pulled out the reverse Uno card and returned the favor. Emerson Mandell is one of the highest-rated recruits in Minnesota. He is likely the last offensive lineman to commit for the 2024 class, and it sure has been an impressive haul for the Badgers.
Mandell is a 3- or 4-star recruit, depending on which website you check, and it’s easy to see why some rate him as a 4-star based on his tape. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound offensive lineman continued the trend of bringing in tall, athletic, long-armed offensive linemen to help rebuild a unit that has had a couple of down years compared to expectations.
Mandell chose Wisconsin over Minnesota and Iowa State but had a handful of other high-level offers, including Penn State, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M. Mandell is ranked as the sixth-best interior offensive lineman in the 2024 class according to On3, joining classmate Ryan Cory on the interior of the line.
Strengths
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- Mobility. Mandell moves extremely well both laterally and in the open field. Having players on the interior of the offensive line that can move is crucial for an offense that wants to space the defense out.
- Strength. Offensive linemen are typically strong (obviously), but Mandell may take that to another level. Most of his highlights aren’t even blocks; he is just bull-rushing through defenders like they aren’t even there. Blocking won’t be that easy in the B1G, but having that strength will be huge if he wants to get on the field early.
- Light feet. I mentioned his mobility already but also wanted to mention how light he is on his feet. They allow him to recover on a few occasions when he’s out of position or loses balance.
Weaknesses
- Over-commitment. On several plays, it looks like he overcommits to a block and loses his balance. At the high school level, it isn’t punished much, but in college, it will be. In the grand scheme of things, though, it’s a relatively easy fix, especially for an interior offensive lineman.
- Handwork. This isn’t necessarily a weakness, more of I didn’t see it much on tape. That’s not uncommon at the high school level when players are dominant physically. In college, however, he’ll need to hand-fight interior defensive linemen more often.
He will be another great offensive line addition for Wisconsin Badgers football. The athleticism and mean streak are there, with a great technical foundation. The Badgers continue to add extremely high-upside offensive line recruits.
Darrion Dupree (Running Back)
Darrion Dupree is the marquee back the staff has been looking for. The Chicago native committed to the Badgers earlier this month and is the all-around back with upside the program has been searching for. Dupree is a 4-star back that chose Wisconsin Badgers football over Illinois and Missouri with offers from many more high-end programs.
The film on Dupree makes it obvious why he was such a big target for the Badgers. At 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, he has the size to produce at the collegiate level and a frame that will be able to add more weight. He also has the perfect skill set to produce at a high level in a Phil Longo offense.
Strengths
- Contact balance. Dupree isn’t the biggest back but plays through contact extremely well. His ability to absorb hits and stay up is similar to Aaron Jones.
- Burst. Dupree may not have track speed, but he has an incredible burst that allows him to break off huge runs with ease. As soon as he gets daylight, he hits the hole decisively with speed and power.
- Open field ability. He may not be the shiftiest of backs, but he works well in the open field. He has the speed to outrun defenders, the power to shake off tackles, and the IQ to set up blocks all over the field.
- Vision. Dupree shows great vision to complement his physical skill set. He doesn’t rely solely on his speed or power to make things happen. He reads defenses and reacts accordingly to pick up big chunks of yards on plays where not much is there.
- Pass catching. The beautiful thing about Dupree is he’s a well-rounded back. He runs extremely well but he also catches the ball well. He looks extremely natural as a receiver, which allows him to be utilized in so many different ways.
Weaknesses
- Blocking. I truly didn’t know what to put here, so I went with blocking as I don’t know how reliable he is there. It’s not uncommon for backs of his size to struggle in the blocking aspect of the game early in their college careers.
I feel like a homer when I struggle to find weaknesses in a recruit’s game, but there isn’t anything to dislike about Dupree’s game. He does everything well and has the physical ability to reach his very high ceiling. The fact he is a good receiver of the ball will allow him to do a wide variety of things for the team and open up the playbook even more for the offense overall. Rivals Clint Cosgrove did a great breakdown on Dupree as well, if you’re interested!
Anelu Lafaele (EDGE)
Anelu Lafaele is an edge rusher out of Honolulu, T.H. (Hawaii). The Hawaii to Wisconsin pipeline continues as the second-ranked prospect from Hawaii chose Wisconsin Badgers football over Arizona State, Washington, and Hawaii. Lafaele is following in the footsteps of Steelers rookie Nick Herbig and will join current Hawaiians on the team in safety Kamo’i Latu and freshman receiver Trech Kekahuna.
The 4-star pass rusher envisioned himself at Wisconsin after his first visit. Although other programs entered the conversation, Wisconsin always seemed to have the upper hand. That was confirmed during Lafaele’s creative commitment video, which he did live on the 247 Sports YouTube channel.
There, unfortunately, isn’t much film on Lafaele outside of a video he had pinned on his Twitter. Luckily, I could track it down after his commitment video replaced it. We get 27 minutes of the 6-foot-3, 230-pound pass rusher showing off his incredible potential.
Strengths
- Speed. The first thing you notice when watching Lafaele is speed. He flies off the edge and is in the backfield almost immediately. He has that quick initial burst that made Herbig so difficult to stop.
- Versatility. Lafaele has the physical attributes and skill set to be a dynamite pass rusher at the next level, but he’s able to do more than that. He has the speed and agility to drop into coverage if needed and the strength to set the edge against the run.
- Tenacity. The motor never seems to stop with Lafaele. His speed allows him to cause havoc in the backfield, and his tenacity gives him second chances to finish plays.
- Variety of moves. It’s easy for high school pass rushers to fall in love with one move. Whether that be speed or power, most fall into one category. The good ones, like Lafaele, can win reps in more than one way. Lafaele will always have speed but also uses a spin move well and has enough power to back a blocker up so he can cut underneath.
Weaknesses
- Strength. He’s by no means small for a pass rusher, but it looks like if there’s anything he can improve on, it may be his strength. If he’s able to add a couple of pounds of muscle while maintaining his speed, he’s going to be an absolute terror for B1G quarterbacks.
- Over aggression. His tenacity makes up for this, but at times it looks like his speed takes him out of plays. That may very well be by design, but offenses will take advantage of pass rushers getting too far upfield at the next level.
Lafaele is easily in the top 3 on my list of commits I’m most excited about. You can’t teach the kind of speed he has off the edge and has the perfect frame to rush the passer at the collegiate level.
Dillan Johnson (Defensive Line)
As unfortunate as it is to see a B1G football program struggling with controversy, the Badgers benefited from it almost immediately. With Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald being fired due to allegations surrounding the program, defensive line commit Dillan Johnson re-opened his recruitment.
That recruitment didn’t stay open long as he flipped to Wisconsin, which was a finalist for him originally. The 6-foot-2, 284-pound multi-sport athlete fills a huge hole for Wisconsin Badgers football. The defensive line had been a major issue until Johnson committed. With Weber and Johnson, Wisconsin has versatility along the defensive line and players that could contribute early.
Johnson, a 3-star recruit out of Plainfield, Ill, is also one of the top wrestlers in the country. Coach Luke Fickell understands and appreciates how well wrestling can translate to certain aspects of football, and the defensive line may be the best fit for any position. Benton had a similar history before heading to Madison, and we all saw how dominant he became. The tape on Johnson is about what you’d expect after the information I just gave you.
Strengths
- Strength. Johnson is a weight room warrior, and it shows on the football field and the wrestling mat. He is about as powerful as they come, and offensive linemen feel it constantly. Johnson punishes blockers with his strength and very rarely doesn’t end up in the backfield.
- Short area quickness. The power helps, but Johnson also has very good short-area quickness that allows him to get around blockers. That quickness will be huge at the next level as the strength of blockers will take a huge jump up.
- Hand usage. Johnson can utilize his power so well due to his high-end hand work. He separates from blockers extremely well to stop the run or rips past blockers on his way to the quarterback.
Weaknesses
- Footwork. Like most of these breakdowns, the weaknesses aren’t so much about glaring issues I see and more so about what I’m not seeing. At the high school level, he isn’t forced to work laterally much as his north and south power works. In college, he’ll have to work side to side more often, and pure strength won’t always be enough.
- Multiple sports. Even though this could be viewed as a strength now, I’m not so sure it’ll be a strength in college. Even though the skill set translates, it’ll be interesting to see which sport he puts more focus into. He may be in a better spot for wrestling at the moment but he has a high ceiling in football.
Johnson was a huge add for the Badgers and a play that I could see playing very early in his career. He has the power to beat B1G offensive linemen and the versatility to fit well into the new 3-3-5 scheme.
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