In one of the program’s biggest recruiting wins in recent history, the Wisconsin Badgers landed 2028 five-star defensive lineman Jalanie George on Oct. 1. George announced his commitment on a Rivals YouTube livestream surrounded by his family and friends.
Currently ranked the No. 15 player in the class, George is also the fourth best defensive end in the country and the best overall player in his state, according to ESPN’s top 300 recruiting page.
Goerge is from Goodyear, Arizona and attended Desert Edge High School. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, George’s high school tape shows the physicality and speed he possesses that helps him force negative plays and turnovers.
George was a MaxPreps Freshman All-American in 2024 and helped the Desert Edge program capture an Arizona 5A Championship. According to his 247Sports scouting report, George is instinctive against the run and can maneuver around blocks to make tackles, easily getting to the quarterback and remaining a flexible player in terms of position alignment.
In his sophomore season at Desert Edge, George recorded 16 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. George received 36 Division I offers including from premier programs like Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas.
The Badgers secured two commits from Desert Edge last year for 2027 class — defensive lineman Yahzeen Zion and linebacker Nathan Jones.
George attended the Badgers’ 36-9 win over Western Illinois on Sept. 12 during his first and only visit. Wisconsin was in the final group of potential candidates for George alongside Auburn, Miami and Washington.
This recruit marks the first 247Sports Composite five-star recruit Wisconsin has landed since the offensive tackle Nolan Rucci in the class of 2021. For the 2027 class, Wisconsin landed four-star defensive lineman David Hill.
Although still early, the Badgers currently have the seventh ranked 2028 recruiting class, according to 247Sports, adding onto the currently ranked No. 25 in the country in the 2027 ESPN team recruiting class rankings.
With upgraded financial resources put into the program this past offseason, Wisconsin is currently ranked in the middle of The Big Ten with a budget of around $27-31 million. This money has helped Wisconsin land big recruits like George, who, as an out-of-state recruit, also boosts Wisconsin’s recruiting profile.
“Being all over the country, I’ve seen every place. But when I went to Wisconsin, it was a true connection,” George told Rivals about why he chose Wisconsin. “I really see going there, building a network and changing that place.”
George becomes the Badgers’ third commit for the class of 2028 alongside four-star linebacker Cale Britt and three-star offensive lineman Brock Barrows. This commitment is another big win for Luck Fickell and the program’s recruiting portfolio.
“I feel like it’s a big relief, God’s blessing, and I’m going to take it and the school that I commit to I’m going to trust the process and move forward and build this relationship,” George said. “And I can’t wait to be a Badger.”
