Luke Fickell's culture wins Wisconsin four-star IOL commit

Luke Fickell.

Wisconsin football and churning out elite offensive linemen. Outside of Iowa and Alabama — name a better duo.

Hardy Watts, a four-star interior offensive lineman recruit from Brookline, Mass., is hoping that he'll be next in line for that Wisconsin to NFL pipeline. So much so that he's willing to move from Massachusetts all the way to Madison to chase that dream.

Watts had an impressive offer sheet including bluebloods Clemson and Michigan.

For Watts, it all came down to the culture at Wisconsin, and that started with the locker room and his future college teammates.

"These are the guys that I’ll be playing with and engaging with for the next three-to-five years," he told On3. "I’ve built relationships with people that I feel very close with outside of them recruiting me. I’ve built genuine friendships with these guys. We talk a lot and they keep in touch with me. They say, ‘Hey Hardy, putting recruiting aside, we really loved you and we want you to be a part of this. We want to be teammates with you and we think you would be a great addition to the roster.’ They made sure to preface it by saying, ‘Hardy, this has nothing to do with recruiting. This is genuine.’ That’s very important to me.”

Watts also likes the culture that Winsconsin head coach Luke Fickell has been able to instill. That reputation started when he took Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff. It seems to be continuing at Wisconsin.

"When I was there, I saw a hardworking, blue-collar culture of guys that are going to give 100 percent every day," Watts said. "I think I align with that and that combination of things ultimately led me to choose Wisconsin."

According to 247Sports, the 6-foot-6, 290-pounder is the No. 12 interior offensive lineman recruit in the 2025 class.

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