The Gophers football program celebrated a key recruiting victory last month when offensive lineman Nathan Roy, the top-ranked recruit from Wisconsin in the 247Sports Composite for the Class of 2024, committed to Minnesota.
On Tuesday, the Badgers had their turn, when Irondale offensive lineman Emerson Mandell, the third-ranked recruit from Minnesota, picked Wisconsin.
The 6-5, 295-pound Mandell also had reported offers from the Gophers, Iowa State, Iowa, Oklahoma, Penn State and Texas A&M, among others.
Nationally, Mandell is the 24th ranked offensive line recruit in the 247Sports composite, with Roy at No. 9 on that list. Roy is a 6-5, 275-pound senior from Mukwonago, Wis., who had reported offers from the Badgers, UCLA, Michigan State, Iowa and Ohio State, among others.
The Gophers still have commitments from seven of the nine top-ranked players in Minnesota: Joi Perich, Jide Abasiri, Mo Saine, Simon Seidl, Jalen Smith and Sam Macy.
The two on that list who committed elsewhere are Mandell and Wyatt Gilmore (Oklahoma).