A look at the "No. 1s" in each Wisconsin recruiting class

With Myles Burkett's announcement Saturday afternoon, BadgerBlitz.com decided to look back at the other "No. 1s" in each recruiting class since 2006.

Note: Prospects listed were the first recruits who committed and signed with UW in each cycle.

Backstory: At the time, Jake Bscherer, the No. 1 player in the state and No. 4 offensive tackle in the country, was the gem of Wisconsin's 2006 class. The former four-star prospect never lived up to the hype, however, and transferred from Wisconsin in spring of 2010 after starting six games in 2009. Bscherer then took two years off from football before returning for his final year of eligibility at Minnesota-Duluth, a Division 2 school.

Backstory: Nick Toon was the first commitment for Bret Bielema in the 2017 class, not surprising considering his father's (Al Toon) connection to the university. The four-star prospect's career may not have lived up to the highest of expectations some had for him, but Toon certainly wasn't a disappointment. He started 20 games over his final two years and finished third in school history with 2,447 career receiving yards and 171 career receptions.

Backstory: Tyler Westphal, along with Peter Konz and Curt Phillips, was the highest-rated member of the 2008 class. The former Virginia pledge flipped to Wisconsin in March of 2017 and competed in the Under Armour All-American Bowl. Expectations were high for Westphal when he arrived at UW but injuries (shoulder) plagued his career in Madison. Westphal announced his transfer prior to the start of spring camp in 2010 and enrolled at North Dakota State. But after one week he left Fargo to join the Division III Oshkosh Titans.

Backstory: This one could have also gone to Shelby Harris, but history tells us Jordan Kohout's commitment came in first during a junior-day visit in February of 2008. Both had their careers in Madison cut short for different reasons - Kohout (injuries) and Harris (kicked off the team).

"After the basketball game we went back to Camp Randall and split up into our positions," Kohout told BadgerBlitz.com. "We sat with out position coaches. I sat with Coach (Charlie) Partridge and he told me to hang around after everyone had left.

"We hung around because Coach (Bret) Bielema wanted to see us. I then went into Coach Bielema's office and we just chatted for a little bit. He said he really liked my junior film and that they had a scholarship offer waiting for me. I'm really pumped. I'm so happy to finally be a Badger. This is it, my recruitment is over; I'm a Badger."

Backstory: Konrad Zagzebski committed to Minnesota early in the process only to flip to Wisconsin after he picked up an offer from his home-state school. The three-star prospect played in the Under Armour All-American Game as a senior after tearing his ACL (left knee) the previous season. At Wisconsin, Zagzebski moved to defensive end and played in 44 games with 16 starts. He finished with 43 total tackles, including 4.0 TFLs and a sack, but wasn't able to play in UW's bowl game in 2015 after tearing his ACL against Ohio State in the Big Ten Conference Championship game.

Backstory: The No. 1 player in the state, a Rivals250 member and U.S. Army All-American Bowl participant, Jake Keefer picked Wisconsin over offers from Indiana, Minnesota and Washington State. The four-star prospect redshirted in 2011, recorded one tackle the following year and suffered a season-ending knee injury during fall camp of 2013. Shortly after, Keefer transitioned to the defensive line and was a contributor in this final two seasons at UW. Arriving on campus at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, it would have been interesting to see how Keefer would have fit in a 3-4 defense at outside linebacker from the very start.

Backstory: Dan Voltz was likely the most heavily recruited prospect in UW's 2012 class with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, Notre Dame and Stanford, among many others. Heading into his senior season, Voltz had started 27 games at center but his career was cut short due to injuries.

Backstory: Roughly one week after taking an unofficial visit to Wisconsin for its junior day in February of 2012, Garret Dooley gave a verbal commitment to the Badgers. UW had to fend off late pushes from Penn State and Vanderbilt to hold onto Dooley's commitment later in the process.

Backstory: The son of former Wisconsin lineman and team captain Joe Panos, George Panos seemed destined to play for the Badgers. Bret Bielema offered during the spring game in April of 2012 and Panos jumped on the scholarship. His career at UW, though, never got off the ground due to injuries.

Backstory: You can't bring up Gary Andersen's short time at Wisconsin without mentioning Austin Kafentzis, commit No. 1 in 2015. Looking back, it's surprising the former three-star quarterback signed with the Badgers after the coaching change from Andersen to Paul Chryst. Kafentzis was quickly passed up on the depth chart by Alex Hornibrook and elected to transfer after just one semester on campus.

Backstory: Antonio Williams was actually No. 1 in this class, but the former four-star prospect decommitted from UW in favor of Ohio State. With that, Kare' Lyles, who transferred from UW before the start of the 2018 season, is listed in this report. Kevin Lyles, Kare's father, and current offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph were teammates on Wisconsin's 1994 Rose Bowl team.

"When we were taking the tour, we stopped to see Lake Mendota, and looking out I remembered old times and the memories I had there," Lyles told BadgerBlitz.com. "It felt like home. I'm still going to go through the process a bit more before I make my decision, but I really felt like home there."

Backstory: One of the most heavily recruited prospects in the country, Kayden Lyles chose Wisconsin over scholarships from Oklahoma, USC, Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame, among others. The four-star prospect moved from Arizona to Wisconsin and played his final season for Middleton High School in 2017.

"It has a big impact with Kare' going to Wisconsin because he's going to want me to go there," Lyles told Rivals.com. "Our dad went there, so he's going to want us to go as well, but I've been open to every school and I'm not set on anything yet."

Backstory: Wisconsin got out to an early lead for Michigan safety Reggie Pearson and never looked back. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound prospect from River Rouge High School committed to UW in August of 2016. He also had offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Iowa State, Miami of Ohio, Syracuse and Western Michigan.

"I committed mainly because they have a great education and they go to bowl games every year," Pearson told BadgerBlitz.com. "They just create better people and better men for life after football. The coaches were excited when I told them. The said they were going to celebrate about it and that was pretty much it."

Backstory: When in-state recruiter Chris Haering extended an offer to Leo Chenal prior to the start of Wisconsin's game in September of 2017, he told the 2019 linebacker he wanted him to be the first to commit in 2019. Hours later, that's exactly what happened. Chenal played as a true freshman and was a starter at inside linebacker this past season.

Backstory: Family connections played a big part in Jack Nelson's early commitment to Wisconsin. Nelson is the son of Todd Nelson, who played for the Badgers in the late 1980s.

"I have known I wanted to be a Badger all my life," Nelson told BadgerBlitz.com. "Also, being on the line, Wisconsin stands out from any other schools. They said they liked my speed of the ball and that I block to the whistle. The coaches were very happy when I told them and excited for my future. They just said to keep working and developing as a football player and student."

Backstory: With his strong family connections to the University of Wisconsin, the question surrounding JP Benzschawel's recruitment was more "when" than "if" in relation to the Badgers' football program. That answer came very early in the process when the then-sophomore offensive tackle from Grafton (WI) High School committed to UW. In doing so, he became pledge No. 1 for Chryst in the 2021 class.

Backstory: Braelon Allen was actually No. 1 in this cycle, but the four-star safety reclassified to the 2021 class and is set to arrive in Madison this summer. With that, Myles Burkett, who announced his pledge on Saturday, moves into this spot. The three-star in-state quarterback from Franklin High School chose UW over scholarships from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH) and Northern Illinois.