The Badgers got a big commitment on Monday to bolster their 2025 class.
The Wisconsin Badgers got another addition in the 2025 cycle, flipping three-star tight end Emmett Bork from the Michigan State Spartans to add another weapon to their upcoming class on Monday.
Bork, a native of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, had been a target for the Badgers for quite some time, camping with the team last summer, but he committed to Michigan State back.
Nonetheless, the Badgers were looking to keep the in-state tight end back home, and were able to do so, as Bork was present for each of the last two home games, which proved to be a difference-maker.
“The first visit I took was to the Purdue game and then I really liked the atmosphere there,” Bork shared. “The game was awesome. The game, the experience was super cool and something I definitely want to be a part of. And then this past weekend on my OV [official visit], I got to experience the Penn State game. Another super great atmosphere, super good environment. And then I was able to sit down with some of the coaches a bit more and get. Keep building that relationship with them and being able to talk about my development as a player at Wisconsin and kind of how I fit into the offense over the next couple of years and how they plan on using me in the tight end role.”
Bork’s relationship with tight ends coach Nate Letton has been a big standing point in his connection to Wisconsin as well, serving as one of the leading factors in his decision.
“Yeah, I’ve gotten to know Coach Letton really well, and I’ve been able to sit down with him plenty of times and just talk about, talk football and also just get to know him as a, as a person. Super good guy, super, super smart person. And I’ve been grateful to get to know him and be comfortable enough with him to have him as my coach for the next few years. I’ve been really excited to keep building a connection with him.”
The tight end was also constantly in communication with General Manager Max Stienecker, which led to a strong connection with the staff as a whole.
“I talked to Coach Stienecker a lot as well. So, I’ve been able to build a really strong relationship with him and Coach Letton and Coach Fickell as well I’ve talked to a few times,” Bork continued. “It feels really good [to play for my home team]. It feels good to be closer to home and kind of be able to play in front of the people that I grew up with, be able to play in front of my family each game and just be close to home and be able to be a hometown kid and playing at Wisconsin. So I think that’s an important part of the decision and had a special part of my commitment just being from Wisconsin and growing up a Badger fan and being able to be a Badger.”
Bork becomes the second tight end to commit to Wisconsin in the 2025 class, as he joins three-star Nizyi Davis. While competition will definitely be a thing, the recent commit is excited to take the field with his fellow counterpart, pointing out the mismatches that could come when Wisconsin goes to a heavier package.
“I think I’m a confident player, that I believe in myself, that I can go into the program and believe that if I do my job and I work as hard as possible, then I’ll get some time on the field eventually. But yeah, I’m excited to meet Nizyi and get to know him a bit more,” Bork said. “Some of the other tight ends on the team and I think kind of being a part of the dual-threat kind of tight end with two commits is just being able to have us both on the field at the same time because I feel like we have a little bit different of skill sets which I think complements each other and being able to keep two guys on the field and be in a lot of 12, 22 personnel, stuff like that. So I’m excited.”
That dual-threat ability is something the Wisconsin native has worked on, as he’s bulked up over 50 pounds to be able to do multiple things in an offense.
“I’ve gained about 50 pounds. I started my recruitment process at about 195, being a smaller tight end receiver type, more of a receiver that was split out,” Bork said. “And then this year I was able to have my hand down in the dirt a bit more to show my skills and physicality in the run game, being down low and then also showing that I’m still a big athlete that’s able to stretch the field and be able to be super effective and athletic in the past game. I’m sitting right around 245 [pounds].”
“I’ve seen my game grow just by being really comfortable on the field. I’ve always felt really natural playing football, but this year I feel really comfortable. I kind of took on a new role this year than I was used to my last year being more of a split-out kind of guy. So I felt like being in line, having my hand down and being able to use my physicality every play was really kind of helping me grow as a player and as an athlete. So I think that was a huge part of my development this year.”
The next step for the tight end? Enrolling early with the Badgers, as Bork will be on campus come January, setting himself up to be a part of spring ball next year.