Wisconsin may end up being the bridesmaid not the bride for 5-star Jalanie George

One of the top edge rushers in the nation, Jalanie George, a 5-star recruit out of Desert Edge High School in Arizona, is down to four schools. George announced that he would decide between Auburn, Washington, Miami, and Wisconsin on October 1st. And the fact that Wisconsin is in the running is a huge testament to how his last visit went. They had been eliminated, and now the Badgers are back in the mix.

Is it a little too late? Have you ever heard the phrase, "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride"? A useful phrase that means being second, third, or even fourth pick but never the first pick. This feels like what is bound to happen to Wisconsin on October 1st when George selects his school. The bridesmaid that got to be on the final stage, standing next to the bride, but wasn't picked.

Why? Well, Washington has always been the favorite, though there are some who think Auburn may have a chance. Miami and Wisconsin seem to be the dark horses, with Wisconsin coming in late as a finalist. The Badgers have been high on George for a while, but he had all but eliminated Wisconsin until his recent visit. He changed his mind, and that may be a huge thing if you want to be really optimistic that the 5-star 2028 Edge could pick Wisconsin.

Wisconsin made a strong impression on Jalanie George in his most recent game-day visit

Related: Alabama is working to flip a long-time Wisconsin commit with other schools lurking

George, when he was on campus for the Western Illinois game, walked away impressed. He told Nick Osen of 24/7 Sports, "I’m still looking into it, but the plan that they have for me, I’m really interested in it at this moment.” Though that may not have even been the most encouraging thing he said.

George spoke about watching what the current Wisconsin edges were doing: "And man, oh my God, Sebastian Cheeks, that man." George said, "I had my eyes on him all game, and I can’t lie, like, whatever Coach Mitch is doing is working, because he was always back there, like creating pressure."

Now that doesn't say "I'm not going to be a Wisconsin Badger," but it definitely indicates that he takes the Badger offer seriously and has been mulling over what it would look like to be the next TJ Watt in Madison.

The other encouraging note, if you really want to spin an optimistic picture in your head, is that Luke Fickell has quietly built a little Desert Edge High School pipeline. In the 2027 class, Fickell has two recruits (from George's position group, even): Yahzeen Zion and Nathan Jones.

Washington, the current favorite in the clubhouse for George, also has a Desert Edge pipeline with two of their own 2027 commitments: WR Zerek Sidney and QB Blake Roskopf. So, it's hard to get overly excited about the teammate connection for Wisconsin.

Auburn fans also have high hopes as he announced his final four the day after his game-day visit down south. Where does he go? Hard to say, but Wisconsin does feel like the bridesmaid and not the bride for George; let's hope I'm wrong.

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