VIDEO: https://wisconsin.rivals.com/news/week-1-in-state-blitz-2022-whitefish-bay-ol-joe-brunner
STRENGTHS
Obviously the size and athleticism stand out here. Before I got to Whitefish Bay High School Friday evening, Joe Brunner’s rivals.com profile had him at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds. He’s now listed at 6-foot-6 and 305 pounds. And getting a chance to stand next to him during warm-ups, those measurements appeared legit. The No. 1 in-state prospect in the 2022 class is big, powerful and plays with some nasty in him, a big reason why he’s started for the Blue Dukes since his freshman year. I’ve written and talked about this before, but Brunner reminds me a lot of Ben Bredeson in terms of how dominant he is/was at the varsity level since his freshman season. Bredeson finished his prep career at Arrowhead as the No. 60 player in the country and Brunner is currently No. 47.
Brunner showed off his versatility by playing both tackle spots and along the defensive line Friday evening. With that, my biggest takeaway was how he projects at UW. Brunner confirmed the Badgers are still recruiting him as an offensive tackle, but I think he could absolutely handle moving inside to guard, if needed. This has been a popular topic after Wisconsin’s impressive run at tackle over the last three classes: Logan Brown, Jack Nelson, Trey Wedig, Riley Mahlman, JP Benzschawel and Nolan Rucci. That said, Brunner is the only projected tackle Wisconsin has offered so far in the 2022 class, and he’d likely be the only one Joe Rudolph takes if they land his commitment down the road.
Back to Brunner’s performance, I really liked his ability to get to the second level as a run blocker. I thought he did a nice job of moving through defensive linemen and then engaging with linebackers in the Dukes’ running attack. We didn’t get to see a ton of pass protection Friday evening because of the lop-sided score, but the coveted bend and flexibility for tackles on the edge was there in limited opportunities.
AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT
Brunner only played one half of football and three or four defensive snaps in the third and fourth quarters of Whitefish Bay’s 34-6 win over West Bend East. With that, I didn’t see any glaring areas of improvement from such a small sample size. As I wrote above, Friday was basically a collection of run blocking with a few pass sets sprinkled in for Brunner.
OUTLOOK/RECRUITMENT
Brunner has been difficult to reach for recruiting updates this summer, a big reason why he was the first kid I wanted to get out and see during Week 1 of high school football in Wisconsin. Getting a chance to hear him talk about his recruitment, Brunner said engaging with so many college coaches and maintaining those relationships over the last few months has been challenging, especially with school starting up recently.
A lot of elite prospects get to this point and either trim their list or make a commitment. I didn’t get the feeling that Brunner is close to either, mainly because he wants to get out and see a lot of these schools in person. He visited Wisconsin a handful of times last fall but really hasn’t been able to see other colleges on his offer list. During the interview, Brunner talked about using all five official visits before making a decision, indicating that part of his recruitment is still many months away.
I still feel good about where Wisconsin stands at this point. Notre Dame and Ohio State, though, are also up there at the top for Brunner, who has been in recent contact with Alabama. He did mention the tackles UW has landed in the 2021 class, but I don’t think that sways his decision too much. Elite kids want to play with other elite kids.
WISCONSIN COMPARISON ON THE CURRENT ROSTER
I was thinking about this one for a while during an uneventful second half. Cole Van Lanen was the first name that popped into my head and I’m sticking with him. The former four-star prospect was listed in the 280-pound range during his prep career at Bay Port, but he’s now 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds heading into his final season at UW. Obviously he’s enjoyed a great career at tackle for the Badgers, but Van Lanen - like Brunner, in my opinion - has the skillset to play guard in college, if needed. I think the two are also similar in their athletic ability at that size.
Let me know what you think.
STRENGTHS
Obviously the size and athleticism stand out here. Before I got to Whitefish Bay High School Friday evening, Joe Brunner’s rivals.com profile had him at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds. He’s now listed at 6-foot-6 and 305 pounds. And getting a chance to stand next to him during warm-ups, those measurements appeared legit. The No. 1 in-state prospect in the 2022 class is big, powerful and plays with some nasty in him, a big reason why he’s started for the Blue Dukes since his freshman year. I’ve written and talked about this before, but Brunner reminds me a lot of Ben Bredeson in terms of how dominant he is/was at the varsity level since his freshman season. Bredeson finished his prep career at Arrowhead as the No. 60 player in the country and Brunner is currently No. 47.
Brunner showed off his versatility by playing both tackle spots and along the defensive line Friday evening. With that, my biggest takeaway was how he projects at UW. Brunner confirmed the Badgers are still recruiting him as an offensive tackle, but I think he could absolutely handle moving inside to guard, if needed. This has been a popular topic after Wisconsin’s impressive run at tackle over the last three classes: Logan Brown, Jack Nelson, Trey Wedig, Riley Mahlman, JP Benzschawel and Nolan Rucci. That said, Brunner is the only projected tackle Wisconsin has offered so far in the 2022 class, and he’d likely be the only one Joe Rudolph takes if they land his commitment down the road.
Back to Brunner’s performance, I really liked his ability to get to the second level as a run blocker. I thought he did a nice job of moving through defensive linemen and then engaging with linebackers in the Dukes’ running attack. We didn’t get to see a ton of pass protection Friday evening because of the lop-sided score, but the coveted bend and flexibility for tackles on the edge was there in limited opportunities.
AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT
Brunner only played one half of football and three or four defensive snaps in the third and fourth quarters of Whitefish Bay’s 34-6 win over West Bend East. With that, I didn’t see any glaring areas of improvement from such a small sample size. As I wrote above, Friday was basically a collection of run blocking with a few pass sets sprinkled in for Brunner.
OUTLOOK/RECRUITMENT
Brunner has been difficult to reach for recruiting updates this summer, a big reason why he was the first kid I wanted to get out and see during Week 1 of high school football in Wisconsin. Getting a chance to hear him talk about his recruitment, Brunner said engaging with so many college coaches and maintaining those relationships over the last few months has been challenging, especially with school starting up recently.
A lot of elite prospects get to this point and either trim their list or make a commitment. I didn’t get the feeling that Brunner is close to either, mainly because he wants to get out and see a lot of these schools in person. He visited Wisconsin a handful of times last fall but really hasn’t been able to see other colleges on his offer list. During the interview, Brunner talked about using all five official visits before making a decision, indicating that part of his recruitment is still many months away.
I still feel good about where Wisconsin stands at this point. Notre Dame and Ohio State, though, are also up there at the top for Brunner, who has been in recent contact with Alabama. He did mention the tackles UW has landed in the 2021 class, but I don’t think that sways his decision too much. Elite kids want to play with other elite kids.
WISCONSIN COMPARISON ON THE CURRENT ROSTER
I was thinking about this one for a while during an uneventful second half. Cole Van Lanen was the first name that popped into my head and I’m sticking with him. The former four-star prospect was listed in the 280-pound range during his prep career at Bay Port, but he’s now 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds heading into his final season at UW. Obviously he’s enjoyed a great career at tackle for the Badgers, but Van Lanen - like Brunner, in my opinion - has the skillset to play guard in college, if needed. I think the two are also similar in their athletic ability at that size.
Let me know what you think.
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