'Just a hard-nosed, grinding, mean machine': With commitment of Arrowhead's Derek Jensen, Wisconsin gets an O-lineman with wrestler's spirit.
Mark StewartMADISON – Luke Fickell’s first full-fledged recruiting class at Wisconsin continued to take shape Sunday with a massive addition.
Derek Jensen, a 6-foot-7, 330-pound offensive linemen from Arrowhead High School announced his committed to the Badgers after receiving more than a dozen Division I offers. That list included tenders from Big Ten rivals Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Purdue.
Jensen is the fourth known member of the Badgers’ 2024 class and its first offensive lineman.
“His measurables are for sure there and just his tenaciousness and his aggressiveness," Arrowhead coach Matt Harris said when asked what makes Jensen D-I material. "He comes from a wrestling background. He can’t wrestle any more because he’s too heavy, but he uses that to his advantage. He’s super smart. He’s super intelligent.”
Rated a four-star prospect
Jensen is rated a four-star recruit by Rivals and a three-star prospect by ESPN and 247sports.
He was a first-team all-state selection by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association and a second-team pick by the Associated Press this past season when Arrowhead went 9-3 and reached the quarterfinals of the Division 1 playoffs.
Jensen plays tackle for Arrowhead but could line up at tackle or guard for UW, Harris said.
More:Derek Jensen's junior season highlights
“He’s a fit,” Harris said. “Wherever they’re going to play to play him, guard or tackle, they haven’t really given me too much insight on that, but his work ethic (is strong). Fickell is from a wrestling background. He probably sees a lot of himself in Derek, just a hard-nosed, grinding, mean machine.”
Jensen was a starter on Arrowhead’s powerhouse wrestling team as a freshman and advanced to the sectional meet. As a sophomore, he grew to 300 pounds and found it difficult to get down to wrestling's weight limit.
“He just could not get down to 285 and it was kind of killing him trying to do it,” Harris said. “It wasn’t right for his body and he decided to hang it up, which was a bummer because he wrestled since he was a young, little kid.”
Recruiters have been flocking to Arrowhead
This has been a busy offseason for Arrowhead as recruiters have been regular visitors to the school to learn more about Jensen as well as defensive lineman Jace Gilbert and offensive lineman Garrett Sexton, all 2024 prospects. Gilbert committed to Iowa State in February. Sexton is on UW’s radar and has almost 20 other Division I offers.
When you include Joey Okla, who was a freshman at Illinois last season, Jensen and Sexton will give Arrowhead line coach Brad Linares three Division I prospects in three seasons.
“He prepares them for the next level,” Harris said. “He makes them look like Division I offensive linemen.”
Jensen joins Waunakee tight end Rob Booker as in-state players in the Badgers' 2024 class. Wisconsin has also received a commitment from Mabrey Mettauer, a quarterback from The Woodlands, Texas, and Grant Stec, a tight end from Algonquin, Illinois.