1/24/2016 football Edit

Wisconsin lands Sam Brodner, Gatorade POY in Illinois

Jon McNamara • BadgerBlitz

Editor

Jon McNamara is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has covered UW athletics since 2002 and has worked at Rivals.com since 2006.

Wisconsin's lengthy search for a running back in the 2016 recruiting class finally came to an end Sunday.

Sam Brodner, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound senior from Glen Ellyn (IL) Glenbard West, committed to the Badgers during his official visit. He is the 24th pledge for UW in the current cycle.

"I fit in really well," Brodner told Rivals.com. "I loved everything about it.

"The visit won me over. I just wanted to see how I fit in with the team."

Brodner earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Illinois last fall after rushing for 1,956 yards and 40 touchdowns. He also had 31 receptions for 402 yards and seven touchdowns.

After backing away from his pledge to Vanderbilt, Brodner, who led the Hilltoppers to the class 7A state championship, narrowed his focus on Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Syracuse. He was hosted this weekend by fellow running back Alec Ingold, a freshman on the current roster.

Look for more on this story within the hour