Wisconsin Football to Host In-State Defensive Lineman on Junior Day Visit

Originally posted on Badger Notes | By Dillon Graff | Last updated 1/31/24

Things are beginning to heat up between the Wisconsin Badgers football program and in-state defensive lineman Torin Pettaway from Middleton.

Pettaway, the 6-foot-5, 265-pound three-star recruit from just down the road, will be on campus for the Wisconsin Badgers’ second round of junior day recruiting visits, he confirmed to Badgernotes.com.

According to 247Sports, Pettaway is the No. 59 defensive lineman in the 2025 recruiting class and the No. 8 player in Wisconsin, despite last year being his first high school football season for the Cardinals.

“I’ve spent most of my time talking to Coach [Greg] Scruggs,” Pettaway told Badgernotes. “What’s stood out the most is that we are alike and relate a lot, mostly because he did not start playing football until his senior season, so that late start is something we both have in common.”

As a junior at Middleton High School, Pettaway recorded 25 tackles, 5.0 TFLs, four sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble, per WisSports, en route to first-team all-conference honors.

Wisconsin Football Hosting Torin Pettaway on Recruiting Visit

The Wisconsin football coaching staff working to get Torin Pettaway on campus for Badgers junior day was undoubtedly a smart move, considering his recruitment is starting to take off on a national level.

Pettaway has picked up scholarship offers from Nebraska, Minnesota, and the USC Trojans in the last week alone. Although the Wisconsin Badgers haven’t made an offer to Pettaway, it’ll be interesting to see if defensive line coach Greg Scruggs decides to pull the trigger after his visit.

After an amazing conversation I am blessed to say I have revived my 3rd d1 offer from the university of USC!@AllenTrieu @OJW_Scouting @WestonZernechel
All glory to god✝️ pic.twitter.com/iSMSkIVjgB

— Torin Pettaway (@torinjp) January 31, 2024

“They [Wisconsin coaches] think that I have a lot of potential and am a duel threat on the defensive line because I can with pass rush attempts as well as stuff the run when the ball is heading my direction,” Pettaway shared.

Coach Scruggs did a fantastic job in the 2024 recruiting cycle at the position, landing a pair of four-star defensive linemen in Ernest Willor Jr. and Dillan Johnson. Not to mention, he also helped bring in Hank Weber.

How Wisconsin football follows those efforts in this next cycle will be critical to the continued effort of rebuilding the Badgers’ defensive line in a mold that better suits the vision of their new schematic direction.

There’s a lot to like about Pettaway’s upside—so getting involved before his offer list explodes seems like a no-brainer.

This article first appeared on Badger Notes and was syndicated with permission.

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