The Wisconsin football staff has been busy preparing the team for the upcoming season as new star rankings have dropped. The Badgers originally recruited a handful of players as three-star recruits, but have since seen them improve to four-stars. In one specific case, Wisconsin has watched Christian Pierce skyrocket himself into a four-star 2025 recruit.
Wisconsin Football Strongly Interested In New Four-Star
The talented inside linebacker, Christian Pierce, is an Illinois native attending Brother Rice High School. Pierce comes in at six feet tall, 215 pounds with an impressive boost of speed as well. Currently, Pierce ranks as the 188th overall player in the 2025 class and the seventh overall inside linebacker, according to Rivals. Following the completion of his sophomore year Rivals updated their rankings to reflect how the recruits have played over the last season.
Congratulations to @BrotherRice student-athlete @Christian2025_ on being ranked by @Rivals as a top 250 (188) player in the class of 2025 & 7th best Inside Linebacker in the country. #WeAreBR | #100MPH https://t.co/2BoNjv5AUy
— Brother Rice Football (@BrotherRiceFB) March 14, 2023
Pierce started off as a three-star originally in Rivals system, but with his recent success, he has seen his ranking climb to a four-star. Playing at inside linebacker on varsity last season, Pierce recorded 100 tackles, three pass breakups, and one safety as well. Pierce certainly has the size to play linebacker, but his speed and vision are going to be his best assets at the collegiate level.
Christian Pierce is a fantastic run stopper as his Hudl highlight reel is filled with tackles for loss. Running backs have a difficult time running in any direction around Pierce. He will initiate contact up the middle, or he can also chase down the runner for the pursuit tackle. No matter where the runner goes, Pierce is going to find his way there. He is not just a run stopper either, as he displays an ability to drop in coverage this season as well.
As a 2025 recruit, the recruiting process is still fairly new for the linebacker. Rivals has recorded seven total offers so far which included Akron, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Texas, and Wisconsin. Three other programs have been tied to Pierce, including Northwestern who has hosted him for a visit. However, none of those three have officially offered Pierce a scholarship, according to Rivals.
Will Wisconsin Football Land Christian Pierce In The Future?
While it is still far too early to tell where Pierce will commit, the Badgers could be a good landing spot for the 2025 recruit. Pierce was offered a scholarship from Wisconsin on February 28th from defensive coordinator Mike Tressel. The fact that Tressel is directly involved with the recruitment of Pierce is of note since it could result in a good relationship between them. As the linebackers coach and defensive coordinator, Tressel will search for someone to command the middle of the field for his defense.
Extremely blessed to have received an offer from the University of Wisconsin! @CoachMikeTress @CoachQuedenfeld @BrotherRiceFB @EDGYTIM @Rivals_Clint @On3sports @PrepRedzoneIL @dclay1889 @LemmingReport @michaelsobrien @AllenTrieu @G1Bound @BOOMfootball @WINperformance1 @ImrSports pic.twitter.com/Q1jM9nkk1a
— Christian Pierce (@Christian2025_) February 28, 2023
If Tressel chooses to run a 3-3-5 defense, then the interior linebacker will be an important position for the Badgers to build. Pierce has the ability to command the middle of the field as a sure tackler and solid coverage linebacker. Mike Tressel might be trying to personally recruit his next great linebacker by extending the offer to a fantastic 2025 recruit. Pierce still has two more years of high school left as well, which means the potential for him to rise in the rankings is there. With enough success, Pierce could certainly finish as the top inside linebacker in the country before his senior year.
The other benefit of the defensive coordinator reaching out to Pierce so early is the development of his comfort with Wisconsin’s staff. Again, 2025 recruits are still early on in their recruiting process which means many schools have not discovered Christian Pierce yet. Once more schools begin to offer him his comfort with the team and their staff will become a deciding factor. Perhaps the Wisconsin Badgers can get a leg up on the opposing schools by developing their relationship over time.
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