Joe Mixon has one official visit remaining. Thus far, Mixon has visited Cal, Washington, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. The 2014 All-American RB will likely take two more unofficials in addition to his last official visit.
Mixon's latest visit to Wisconsin was obviously a great one and the Badgers knocked off No. 16 ranked Northwestern in a classic Big-10 matchup.
In addition to the game, several things stood out to Mixon about his trip to Wisconsin.
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"The football facility and the hotel they put me in was crazy. After the game we went to our host's dorms and the dorms were huge… All the athletes in the same dorms. The facilities were just like Oklahoma," he said.
The vibe was great for Mixon in Madison and he felt at home amongst the players, coaches and fans.
"I met all the offensive lineman. They said 'if you come here we'll block our ass off for you.' Of course they're going to say that to a running back on their team but I'm only a recruit… Wisconsin and Oklahoma, both schools and all the players, I got along with them very well," Mixon said.
One of the best moments on Mixon's trip was being able to hoist the most coveted individual trophy in all of college football.
"When I got to hold the Heisman it was super heavy. I seen Ron Dayne up there this weekend too and I was talking to him. He was talking to me, (Damien) Mama and (John) Plattenburg," said Mixon.
Joe Mixon enjoyed his time so much in Madison that he named the Badgers one of his current frontrunners.
"The top two right now are Wisconsin and Oklahoma. Mainly, you gotta deal with the coaches. One thing is the coaches and another thing is the players. I got to know a lot of them and I talked to them and it was all cool," Mixon said this evening.
A few other schools that remain in the fold according to Mixon are Florida State, Arizona State and UCLA. Mixon will likely pick one of these schools as his last official visit and take unofficial visits to the remaining two. The senior running back is still considering Berkeley and said he'll try to get out to Cal for the game this weekend against Oregon State.
UCLA could be a nice fit for Mixon and he says that he's been in contact with the Bruins recently.
"Coach Broussard, Coach Angus and Coach Mora… they said that I can come in as a freshman and come in and compete for a starting job," he said.
With future NFL signal-caller Brett Hundley at the helm for UCLA, the Bruins hope that stability will give them an edge in the recruitment of arguably the nation's best running back.
"Of course you've gotta have a good quarterback. But like with Wisconsin, they have a good running game every year," said Mixon.
Hailing from the Northern California Bay Area, Wisconsin is halfway across the country from home for Mixon, but he's already found a familiar face in Madison. 2012 QB Bart Houston is on the Badgers roster and is from perennial powerhouse De La Salle, not far from Mixon's Freedom High School in Oakley, Ca.
Wisconsin definitely holds an edge in the recruitment of Joe Mixon and look for the opportunity of early playing time to be a big factor in the decision of the 2014 U.S. Army All-American.
"It's looking good (Wisconsin). Melvin Gordon… if he doesn't go then it will be me and him. If he goes then I think I can come in right away and compete for a starting spot," said Mixon.
