What to know about Wisconsin football recruit Michael Roeske of Wautoma
MADISON – If all goes as Michael Roeske plans, he’ll be starting college around this time next year.
The 6-foot-8, 290-pound tackle from Wautoma High School committed to Wisconsin in November. He intends to enroll early after signing his national letter of intent in December.
“It was an idea I went with to them with,” he said. “I’d asked if they had guys normally enroll at midpoint and they said it all depends on where the athlete is in high school, if they need to take that full year to get the classes they want or do they want to stay for a winter or spring sport. It all varies depending on the athlete.
“I’ve always wanted to graduate early and go to college and since that is a possibility, I definitely want to graduate at mid-point and be able to go down and do spring ball.”
Roeske was the third player to give Wisconsin a commitment for 2025. As it stands, there are five players committed to the class: Landyn Locke, a quarterback from Texas; Remington Moss, a defensive back from Virginia; Cooper Catalano, a linebacker from Germantown High School; and Cody Haddad, a safety/receiver from Ohio who announced his commitment Wednesday.
Roeske also included Notre Dame, Indiana and Illinois among his top four schools.
Here are three more things to know about the future Badger.
Roeske's injured knee is recovering nicely
Roeske tore his right anterior cruciate ligament on Sept. 1, ending his junior season after three games.
He had surgery Sept. 25 and spent the weeks that followed building up his quad muscle and working on his balance. He has been cleared to do some soft jogging and hopes to be fully recovered in May.
On the play he was injured, Roeske was getting set to pass block and felt his knee collapse and something tear after he tried to adjust to a player cutting to his inside.
“All I knew was something happened and I needed to know what it was,” he said. “I think that was my biggest question. Am I still going to have the offers that I have?
“After the next week talking to Wisconsin and a couple of other schools that were interested they said with modern technology and how everything is (that) ACL (injuries) are way different than how it was when they were going through recruitment. They were like, heal up, get better and come back stronger from it.”
Words from James White, Vince Biegel helped seal Roeske's recruitment
The key moments of Roeske’s recruitment took place during his visit for the Ohio State game Oct. 28. Roeske heard former Badgers running back James White and former UW linebacker Vince Biegel talk about their experience in the program.
The messages they shared explained the depth of support a player could expect at Wisconsin regardless of who is there. Relationships always play a key role in a recruit’s commitment and in this case White’s and Biegel’s words resonated with Roeske.
“I think that is what set it apart," he said. "The bonds and relationships you’ll build with your teammates is just on a completely different level than anywhere else. I think that is what set Wisconsin apart for me.”
Roeske heard White speak in a group setting. He got a chance to chat with Biegel one-on-one.
Biegel grew up in Wisconsin Rapids, which is about 30 minutes away from Wautoma.
"He talked about his experience of how big of a leap it is from high school to college and college to the NFL and he explained the biggest jump is going from high school to college,” Roeske said. “He said going from college to NFL is way easier than it is from high school, especially from a small town.”
Badgers like Roeske's size, athleticism
It says something about Roeske ability to move that his coaches at Wautoma also had him playing linebacker on defense. He was also a member of Wautoma’s basketball team as a freshman and sophomore.
Roeske sees that athleticism in addition to his size as an asset. Where he fits on the line is to be determined, though he played tackle for the Hornets.
“I’m pretty quick and I’m pretty mobile, so I can get up to the second level and lead in front of a running back for the first 10, 15 yards and then let them break it off,” Roeske said. “Honestly that is what they’ve told me, how much of a freak I am with my athleticism and how big I am.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Wisconsin football recruit Michael Roeske
