Wisconsin football recruiting: UW adds prospect No. 2 to 2023 class with 3-star OL James Durand

Early on Friday morning, the Wisconsin Badgers football team received some good news as 2023 3-star OL James Durand (Chandler, Ariz.) announced his commitment to Paul Chryst’s squad. Durand is listed is an IOL by 247 Sports and an OT by On3 Sports, but we are unclear at which position he’ll start in Madison. He is the second commitment in Wisconsin’s 2023 class, joining LB Tyler Jansey (Batavia, Ill.).

Here are some of the fast facts you need to know about Durand:

Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 275ish pounds
High School: Basha High School
On3 ranking: 4-stars; No. 247 nationally; No. 20 OT; No. 4 Arizona
247 Sports ranking: 3-stars; No. 49 IOL; No. 12 Arizona
Rivals ranking: 3-stars; No. 8 Arizona

On3 Consensus ranking: 3-stars; No. 649 nationally; No. 47 OT; No. 10 Arizona

Durand had nearly 20 offers to consider, including from Arizona, BYU, Cal, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa State, San Diego State, Utah and a handful of Ivy Leagues schools as well. According to his 247 profile, Durand is scheduled to take an official visit to Madison during the first weekend of June but, apparently, he just couldn’t wait to commit.

After receiving his offer from Wisconsin back on March 26, we noted that “he shows an ability to pull and get to the second level of the defense to continue clearing holes for his tailback. He is physical at the point of attack and certainly looks like a guy that Wisconsin could mold into an all-Big Ten talent.”

This commitment could kick off a hot few weeks on the trail for Wisconsin, who traditionally have done quite well in May and June with recruits. The first weekend in June is shaping up to be a big one and hopefully Durand is able to help convince more players to hop on board with him.