Wisconsin legend Joe Thomas reacts to Hardy Watts' commitment

Former Wisconsin football legend Joe Thomas reacted to the Badgers landing a commitment from top-ranked class of 2025 offensive tackle Hardy Watts’ on Monday.

It’s safe to say Thomas was excited about his alma mater landing the four-star lineman — who becomes the program’s 22nd overall commitment, fifth offensive lineman and first iOL in the class. “Now we go!!!” Thomas wrote in his post on X.

Watts joins the Badgers’ class as 247Sports’ No. 222 player in the class of 2025, No. 12 interior offensive lineman and No. 1 recruit from the state of Massachusetts. He instantly becomes the program’s highest-rated commit in the class.

The Brookline, Massachusetts native, who committed to the Badgers over both Clemson and Michigan, will join one of college football’s most prolific landing spots for offensive linemen — headlined by Thomas’ collegiate and professional career.

Most notably, with 11 active linemen in the pros, Wisconsin football is second among NCAA Division I college football programs with the most active offensive lineman in the NFL. The Badgers are tied for second in the nation with Oklahoma, LSU and Notre Dame; only Michigan produced more active athletes with 14.

UW also helped develop 2023 Hall of Fame inductee Thomas, former Dallas Cowboy Travis Frederick and Super Bowl champion Mark Tauscher into professional-ready linemen during their time in Madison. These success stories serve as a blueprint for what Watts could become during and after his collegiate tenure.

Thomas, the most revered of all former Badger offensive lineman, was a first-team All-American team member in 2005 and 2006, recognized as the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman with the 2006 Outland Trophy and was a team captain and co-MVP as a senior in 2006.

He finished his collegiate tenure as the 2007 Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient and with back-to-back first-team All-Big Ten selections before declaring for the 2007 NFL draft.