2023 defensive lineman Roderick Pierce commits to Wisconsin

The Badgers are now up to five commits in the 2023 class with the addition of Roderick "Trey" Pierce.

With seniors Keeanu Benton and Isaiah Mullens likely off to give the NFL a shot following next season, the Wisconsin Badgers identified defensive line recruiting as a priority in the 2023 cycle.

On Thursday afternoon, defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej and the Badgers added their first commitment along the line, with Roderick "Trey" Pierce III announcing his intention to play for Paul Chryst and Wisconsin.

A high academic athlete, Pierce attends Brother Rice High School in Chicago, and he is the third commitment for the Badgers in under a week.  

Pierce was in talks with the staff to take an official visit to Madison in June, but having been on campus back in March, he decided he had seen enough to know that Wisconsin was the place for him.

In the end, Pierce chose Wisconsin over Power-5 offers from Duke, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Purdue, Syracuse, and Vanderbilt, as well as a laundry list of MAC schools and Connecticut.

The three-star defensive lineman represents the fifth overall commitment for the Badgers in the 2023 cycle and the third defensive player, joining linebacker Tyler Jansey and defensive back Justin Taylor. Interestingly, all three defensive commits hail from the state of Illinois.

At 6-foot-3 and around 290 pounds, Pierce is a valuable addition to the class given his versatility to play either defensive end or nose tackle at the college level. His high school team moves him all over the defensive line, playing both defensive tackle and defensive end, so he is familiar with multiple positions and techniques.

On film, he shows an ability to hold his ground and eat up blockers, something that is a perfect fit for Wisconsin's 3-4 scheme. He keeps his balance and is quick for a player his size. 

You can see Pierce's junior highlights here.

The Badgers recently missed out on Saint Louis defensive lineman Tyler Gant, who committed to Northwestern, but they are still in a good place for several other defensive linemen. Some of the other notable names to keep an eye on along the d-line include:

• My'Keil Gardner of Peoria, Arizona.
• Ashton Sanders of Los Angeles, California.
• Jamel Howard from Chicago, Illinois.

Gardner and Sanders are both set to be on campus the first weekend of June for official visits, while the Badgers are working on bringing Howard back to campus sometime this summer too.

I could see Wisconsin adding one or two more defensive linemen in the 2023 class with Benton and Isaiah Mullens both set to graduate after this season. 

Related links:

• 2023 DB Justin Taylor commits to Wisconsin

• 2023 RB Jaquez Keyes becomes a Badger

• 2023 OL James Durand commits to UW

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