These 2025 recruits have high interest in UW after June visits

Today’s college football environment requires programs to constantly recruit players of all different ages, and the University of Wisconsin made a splash in entertaining prospects younger than the upcoming 2024 class this summer.
UW already secured a verbal commitment for the 2025 cycle as quarterback Landyn Locke, younger brother of current redshirt freshman quarterback Braedyn Locke, declared his intentions last month. Luke Fickell and his staff also hosted recruits who either came to campus to participate in one of the team’s camps, take an unofficial visit or both.
BadgerExtra caught up with four 2025 uncommitted recruits about their recent June trips in Madison.
In-state linebacker holds ‘a really great relationship with Wisconsin’
Cooper Catalano, one of several 2025 prep players from within the state to hold an offer from the program, traveled to UW in mid-June for a short unofficial visit before camp. He hung out with director of player personnel Max Stienecker before talking with defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Mike Tressel prior to camp beginning.
“The experience was great. … I really wanted to get coached up by great coaches,” Catalano said of the camp. “Me and coach Tres were kind of past that recruiting phase in our relationship. We're kind of just moving forward. He's trying to coach me, he wants to see how I run, see how I move and all that stuff, and I kind of want to experience that, too.
“I wanted to see how he coaches. I wanted to see how he interacts with players. I wanted to see how other coaches do the same.”
Tressel and UW envision Catalano at the “mike” inside linebacker position, according to the recruit. He described the assistant’s active participation when mentoring players during the camp.
“(Tressel) gives you a chance to do something. If you do it right or wrong, he’ll critique you in a very hands-on, like showing you kind of way,” Catalano said. “He’ll let you make mistakes, but then he’ll try to correct you, he’ll correct them and see what you can do after that.”
UW wasn’t the only camp Catalano participated in this summer as he traveled to both Tennessee and Notre Dame. The trip to Knoxville also included an unofficial visit to the SEC school.
Catalano holds five offers from UW, Illinois, Iowa State, Minnesota and Kansas, but as the recruiting dead period ends after Monday , the Germantown product plans to make a couple of unofficial visits. He is set up to head to Michigan State on the 27th and back to Madison on the 29th.
The three-star recruit believes the Badgers, Spartans and Fighting Illini are recruiting him the hardest at the moment.
Catalano speaks with UW about once or twice a week, and he believes the rapport between the two sides has “been growing really well” since Fickell’s staff came to Madison.
“Just a really great relationship with Wisconsin. Love everyone there,” Catalano said. “Everyone's really courteous and everyone knows what they're doing, and just a great staff overall.”
The recruit, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds on his Hudl profile, wants to have a decision made about his college football home some time prior to the start of his senior season.
“Definitely very interested,” Catalano said of UW. “Great program. Obviously, a great relationship with … all the coaches there. And yeah, definitely, definitely very interested.”
Badgers 'at the top' of running back's list
Days after the Badgers hosted their first June weekend of 2024 recruits on official visits, a couple of 2025 standouts – running back Isaiah West and defensive lineman Maxwell Roy – both took unofficial visits and camped at UW.
“We initially got down there, I let the coaches know that we were there,” West said July 6. “And at first, it was just touring the facility. They were just giving us a good tour of what they got. I got to meet the offensive coordinator (Phil Longo), I met the head coach, coach Fickell, and we had a chat with them for a little bit.
“Then went down, of course, we took pictures and all that. I got to go down to the field. I got to go into their weight room the next day, and it was early. They let us come to the early lift, so that was really cool to see. Got to see some of the running backs working out. Saw Braelon Allen up close for the first time. That was dope.”
West and Roy — both teammates of 2024 UW commit Omillio Agard at St. Joseph Preparatory School in Philadelphia — then camped. Running backs coach Devon Spalding led the three-star prospect through drills.
The Pennsylvania product didn’t expect to experience what he did on his trip.
“When I’m thinking of Madison, I don’t really know much about Wisconsin,” West said. “I'm thinking there's not much up there. I’m not expecting to go up there to this city on the lakefront, and see that they actually got a lot of stuff going on up there.
“I was really surprised by some of the projects that they're working on up at Wisconsin right now.”
West said he held nine FBS offers, which includes scholarship opportunities from Power Five programs Boston College, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and UW. He visited the Mountaineers on a junior day and has also visited Happy Valley in addition to Madison.
The recruit, already listed at 6-foot and 208 pounds on his Hudl profile prior to his junior year, believes the Badgers are recruiting him the hardest while also mentioning the Nittany Lions and the Huskers. He hopes to return for a game in the fall, and his interest in UW is high.
“I would definitely say Wisconsin’s at the top of my list for sure,” West said.
Byrne didn’t camp at UW during his unofficial visit last month, but he took in plenty of Madison with his mother.
“I saw everything,” Byrne said. “Basically, I was there for two full days. I got there (at) 11 o'clock one day, and I basically spent like 36 hours with the coaches pretty much. They were with me the whole time. It was awesome.
“They kind of showed me the whole city, campus, everything. Even though it is kind of hard to see the whole campus just because it's so big, which is pretty awesome. It's in a big city, but the campus, it's just a whole part of it, which is really great I think. I really liked the atmosphere of it. Obviously, it's beautiful in between the two lakes so all of that.”
Byrne, an early four-star recruit by On3, said he’s “really close” with offensive line coach Jack Bicknell, director of scouting Casey Rabach and offensive analyst Cullen Casey. He believes UW’s campus and school set themselves “apart a pretty big amount” from other universities.
The recruit, currently listed at 6-6 and 285 pounds on Hudl, is most comfortable at tackle since he currently plays that position for Iona Preparatory School in New York. There are potentially opportunities to contribute early at UW, as Byrne explained, with the program signing only three scholarship offensive linemen combined in the 2022 and 2023 classes.
“So over a two-year period, you should probably sign seven or eight guys,” Byrne said. “They only signed three, so because of that, he said the year that I come in, they're going to have, you know, some holes on the offensive line just because there's not gonna be a lot of kids.
“So he was saying how, ideally I would come in and I would see a starting or a lot of playing time early on Year 1 just because he needs one kid in my class to come in and do that. And he thinks just based on my size and where I am technically right now for my class, how far along I am, I'd be able to come in and really — wherever they need a guy to start — I could fit that because I play all five spots.”
Byrne said he holds 19 offers. He visited Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Rutgers and UW this summer, and he plans to make return trips to the Wolverines and Fighting Irish along with Ohio State during this last week of July.
He believes a handful of schools — the Badgers, Fighting Irish, Wolverines, Nittany Lions and Aggies — are recruiting him the hardest.
His current favorites include Notre Dame, UW and Michigan. He thinks his current timeline to make a decision may be a year from now prior to his senior year after taking official visits next summer.
“I've already been there for two days,” Byrne said of his interest in UW. “I'll be back at the Ohio State game (Oct. 28). I plan to make a couple more trips and then also take an official in June (2024). So, yeah, definitely very interested.”
Bicknell and the UW staff have also made an impression on another lineman, Wautoma’s Michael Roeske, who camped on June 8.
“It was great,” Roeske said. “Just getting to have Bicknell be able to coach me and have all the coaches come up and introduce themselves, you really feel like a part of the family down there, so I really loved camp.
“I love talking to Fickell and Bicknell and just footwork and stuff that we practiced, that's huge for me. Can't wait to learn more from him.”
Roeske’s work schedule allowed him to only camp with the program that day, but he said he has taken four or five previous unofficial visits to UW. That includes two or three trips with Fickell’s staff in Madison.
The recruit recalled performing pass protection set and pulling drills during last month’s session, and he lauded Bicknell’s type of coaching.
“I love the guy,” Roeske said. “He's serious when he has to be serious, but he's a funny guy to be around. He's probably one of my favorite coaches I've talked to so far.”
Roeske, rated a four-star recruit by On3’s Industry rankings, said he is 6-7½ and 290 pounds. He plays left and right tackle for Wautoma, and he believes that is where UW would project him to play. He feels his mobility would allow him to play any of the offensive line positions.
A handful of FBS schools have already offered Roeske: UW, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Minnesota and Indiana. He visited all but Syracuse in the spring, though he plans to travel to the ACC program at some point.
The home state program sits in good standing at the moment.
“I'd say Wisconsin's my top one right now,” Roeske said. “Notre Dame's up there as well, but I think just with how much family I feel like down there in Wisconsin, and how much they treat me like family. I think that's the reason that they really stick out.
“With Fickell coming in, I think they’re a championship contender team and I want to go play for a team that can go for a national championship and somewhere that I can go for a really good degree. Madison's got both of those.
“I'd say Madison and Notre Dame are probably my top two right now.”
Roeske, like Catalano, expects to be in Madison on July 29. An upcoming visit to Notre Dame also may be in store soon, though that has not been confirmed.
There is no apparent timeline for Roeske regarding a decision, but a few factors will play a role in his commitment.
“I feel like the three biggest things for me is what school is going to have a chance at the national championship?” Roeske said. “What school can I go and get a good degree at, and which school has the best o-line prospects or best o-line coaches that I can go learn from and put it on the field and get my way to playing from Friday night to Saturday night to Sunday night?”