Luke Fickell beats out Ole Miss, Michigan, LSU, Missouri and others for freak athlete

Luke Fickell is still active in the portal, but since he's addressed all of Wisconsin's needs, now he can take a few gambles. One of those high ceiling bets is on Liam Danitz, an edge rusher from D3 Hope College. Danitz is turning heads and getting tons of interest from major programs for his intangibles as well as his stats.

Danitz had a ton of interest and a few offers on the table before Wisconsin convinced him to be a Badger. He was planning an Ole Miss visit; he had an offer from Missouri; he was picking up interest from his home-state team, the Michigan Wolverines; and even LSU was sniffing around. There were also teams like Cal and Utah that were supposedly interested. Why? He's an insane athlete, and his raw athleticism led him to light up D3 football.

Wisconsin has picked up a commitment from Liam Danitz from Hope College

Related: Wisconsin football transfer portal tracker: Who's out, in, and the speculation

Danitz was a D3 All-American off the edge. He's listed at 6'5 and 230 pounds and posted 46 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 15 sacks. That's all well and good, but it's D3, so making a jump, not just one level but two, is a lot. However, his athleticism is off the charts. He was also an All-American in track, running a 10.55 in the 100meter dash. He also posted a 20.92 in the 200-meter dash. That's insanely fast for 6'5, 230.

He only has one year of eligibility left, so he will need to figure out how to jump from D3 to D1 fast and begin to produce. Yet, it's a high ceiling gamble for Luke Fickell, and if it pays off, it will be big. If not, Fickell isn't betting the house.

Fickell even got him to commit before he took any more visits. That's a recruiting win.