4-star OT Kevin Heywood commits to Wisconsin Badgers

Royersford (Penn.) Pope John Paul II four-star offensive tackle Kevin Heywood has announced his commitment to Wisconsin. He chose the Badgers after taking an official visit to Madison last weekend.

Heywood is the No. 260 overall prospect and No. 20 offensive tackle in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 4 player in Pennsylvania.

On3 rates Heywood higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Per the 2024 On300, he is the No. 111 overall prospect, No. 12 offensive tackle and No. 2 player in Pennsylvania.

Landing the 6-foot-7, 295-pound recruit marks a massive win for head coach Luke Fickell and his staff because Heywood is now the highest-ranked prospect in Wisconsin’s 2024 recruiting class. Following his pledge, the Badgers’ group rose two spots to No. 19 in the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Wisconsin also climbed to No. 5 from No. 6 in the Big Ten.

Heywood is the latest blue-chip recruit to commit to Wisconsin

Fickell and Co. now have commitments from 11 players. Two of them are four-stars in Heywood and Algonquin (Ill.) Harry D. Jacobs four-star tight end Grant Stec

The nine three-stars who have chosen Wisconsin include Waunakee (Wis.) three-star tight end Rob Booker, The Woodlands (Texas) three-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer, Hartland (Wis.) Arrowhead three-star offensive tackle Derek Jensen, Sioux Falls (S.D.) Jefferson three-star linebacker Thomas Heiberger, Philadelphia (Penn.) Northeast On3 four-star safety Kahmir Prescott, Green Bay (Wis.) Bay Port three-star linebacker Landon Gauthier, Orange City (Fla.) University three-star cornerback Vernon Woodward, Bolingbrook (Ill.) three-star wide receiver Kyan Berry-Johnson and Brentwood (Tenn.) Brentwood Academy three-star defensive lineman Hank Weber.

Mettauer was one of the first players to join Wisconsin’s 2024 class, committing to the Badgers on Dec. 24. He told On3’s Chad Simmons on March 16 that he is “100% with Wisconsin.”

The signal-caller is not only close with offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Phil Longo, but also Fickell.

“I love Coach Fickell,” Mettauer said. “I love what he did at Cincinnati and the stability now at Wisconsin with him just getting there. Coach Fickell is committed to the team wherever he is at. He had multiple options to leave Cincinnati, but he chose to stay and I loved that. 

“He is loyal and I love that. He is super personal too and he knows how to coach and win games. I can’t wait to work with Coach Fickell and Coach Longo.”