A look at the 'No. 1s' in each Wisconsin recruiting class since 2006

After Landyn Locke's commitment on Thursday, 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.

Recruitment: 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, who committed in January of 2015, chose the Badgers over Michigan and Iowa, among others.

Career: Bscherer never lived up to the hype and transferred from Wisconsin in spring of 2010 after he started six games in 2009. Bscherer then took two years off from football before he returned for his final year of eligibility at Minnesota-Duluth, a Division 2 school.

Recruitment: A Wisconsin legacy, Nick Toon picked up his first and only offer from the Badgers early in the recruiting process. And, as expected, the four-star prospect made a quick commitment to then-head coach Bret Bielema in February of 2006.

Career: His career may not have lived up to the highest of expectations some had, 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. Toon was selected in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.

Recruitment: Tyler Westphal actually made an early commitment to Virginia. But an offer from the in-state Badgers proved too much to pass on, and the four-prospect flipped to Wisconsin in March of 2007.

Career: Westphal, along with Peter Konz and Curt Phillips, was the highest-rated member of the 2008 class. He competed in the Under Armour All-American Bowl and expectations were high when Westphal arrived at UW. Injuries (shoulder), however, plagued his career and the former in-state standout announced his transfer to North Dakota State prior to the start of spring camp in 2010. He enrolled but left Fargo after one week to join the Division III Oshkosh Titans.

Recruitment: Shelby Harris and Jordan Kohout both made snap commitments to Wisconsin after they picked up offers on junior day in 2008. In today's recruiting world, it's very likely each would have had an offer from the Badgers earlier in the process.

Career: Neither lacked in the talent department, but Harris was kicked off the team early in his career and Kohout never reached his full potential due to injuries.

Recruitment: Konrad Zagzebski, whose name popped up on recruiting radars as a high school freshman, committed to Minnesota early in the process but flipped to Wisconsin after he picked up an offer from his home-state university. The three-star prospect played in the Under Armour All-American Game as a senior after he tore his ACL (left knee) the previous season.

Career: 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 one sack, but wasn't able to play in UW's bowl game in 2015 after he tore his ACL against Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game.

Recruitment: The Badgers offered a scholarship to Jake Keefer in October of 2009 and landed his commitment in March of 2010. Indiana, Minnesota and Washington State also extended scholarships during his recruitment.

Career: The No. 1 player in the state, Rivals250 member and U.S. Army All-American Bowl participant, Keefer arrived at Wisconsin with lofty expectations. 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. During that time, he also transitioned to the defensive line and was a role player 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.

Recruitment: A rare out-of-state "first," Dan Voltz was the most heavily recruited prospect in UW's 2012 class with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, Notre Dame and Stanford, among many others.

Career: Voltz started 27 games at center for Wisconsin but had his career cut short due to injuries.

Recruitment: Joe Rudolph, during his first stint on Wisconsin's staff, jumped on Scott Orndorff early in the process. The three-star prospect made a commitment to Wisconsin in November of 2011, but when Rudolph and Paul Chryst left for Pittsburgh, Orndoff followed closely behind.

Recruitment: Wisconsin jumped on Garret Dooley early in the process with an offer at its junior day in 2012. Just a few days later, the three-star prospect committed to UW over offers from Indiana, Illinois and Vanderbilt, among others. Wisconsin had to fend off late pushes from Penn State and Vanderbilt to hold onto Dooley's commitment later in the process.

Career: After moving positions a few times, Dooley found a home at outside linebacker and had a great final season at Wisconsin.

Recruitment: This was a no-brainer. The son of former UW player Joe Panos, George Panos committed to Wisconsin as a sophomore at Arrowhead High School. The three-star prospect actually committed to then-head coach Bret Bielema and stayed on board through the transition to Gary Andersen.

Career: Injuries ended Panos' college career before it ever got off the ground.

Recruitment: Austin Kafentzis was proof of Andersen's strong recruiting ties in the state of Utah. The recording-setting quarterback was one of Wisconsin's top priorities from Day 1, and the Badgers landed Kafentzis' services very early in the process (June 2013). Even after Andersen left, Kafentzis reaffirmed his commitment to current head coach Paul Chryst.

Career: During his first spring camp, Kafentzis was quickly passed up on the depth chart by Alex Hornibrook and elected to transfer after just one semester on campus. He then made stops at Nevada, Arizona Western and BYU.

Recruitment: Antonio Williams was technically Wisconsin's first commit in this cycle, but the four-star commit parted ways with the Badgers and ended up signing with Ohio State. So, by default, commit No. 2, Kare' Lyles, will officially go down as No. 1 in 2016. The Badgers extended an early (and his first) scholarship to the UW legacy and earned his commitment soon after.

Career: Lyles redshirted in 2016 but transferred soon after. After a junior college stint, Lyles landed at Southern Illinois and then at Jackson State.

Recruitment: Like his older brother before him, Kayden Lyles was commit No. 1 for UW in 2017. The four-star prospect was heavily recruited out of Saguaro High School in Arizona and received scholarships from Oklahoma, USC, Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame, among many others.

Career: Lyles played in 34 career games for the Badgers as both an offensive and defensive lineman. He made 16 starts - four coming at left guard, five at center and seven as a defensive end in 2018. After he lost his starting job this past fall, Lyles entered the transfer portal and landed at Florida State.

Recruitment: Reggie Pearson committed to Wisconsin over offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Iowa State, Miami of Ohio, Syracuse and Western Michigan in August of 2016. The three-star prospect remained rock-solid in his pledge and quickly turned into a leader amongst the other 2018 commits.

Career: Pearson played three years at Wisconsin and registered 65 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four pass breakups and three forced fumbles during that span. He sat out the 2020 and transferred to Texas Tech in April of 2021.

Recruitment: When in-state recruiter Chris Haering extended an offer to Leo Chenal in September of 2017, he told the Class of 2019 linebacker he wanted him to be the first to commit to Wisconsin in that cycle. Hours later, that's exactly what happened.

Career: Chenal, who was selected in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, played in 11 of Wisconsin's 13 games in 2021. He led the program in tackles (115), tackles for loss (18.5) and quarterback hurries (five). His Pro Football Focus grade of 90.7 was also tops on UW's defense.

Recruitment: The son of Todd Nelson, who played for the Badgers in the late 1980s, Jack Nelson jumped on an offer from Wisconsin in October of 2017 during his sophomore year at Stoughton High School. His younger brother, Barrett Nelson, signed with the Badgers in the 2022 class.

Career (so far): After a redshirt season, Nelson started all 13 games at right guard in 2021. He moved to left tackle and has worked as Wisconsin's starter at that position ever since. In 2022, he was an All-Big Ten honorable mention (consensus) and Academic All-Big Ten selection.

Recruitment: 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 in February of 2019 when the (then) sophomore offensive tackle from Grafton (WI) High School committed to UW.

Career (so far): Benzschawel redshirted in 2021 and played in one game last fall.

Recruitment: Wisconsin started its 2022 recruiting class by keeping one its top targets inside the state. Braelon Allen, a four-star athlete from Fond du Lac High School, trimmed his list to six schools - Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Florida State and Ohio State - before he committed to UW. In September of 2020, however, Allen announced his decision to reclassify to the 2021 recruiting class.

Career (so far): As a true freshman, Allen earned a starting job at tailback and rushed for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was named to the FWAA freshman All-American team. In 2022, Allen started all 12 at running back and led the Badgers with 1,242 rushing yards.

Recruitment: After Allen's move, Myles Burkett, who committed to the Badgers in January of 2021, became No. 1 for Wisconsin in the current senior cycle. The three-star in-state quarterback from Franklin High School chose Wisconsin over scholarships from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH) and Northern Illinois. As a senior, Burkett led the Sabers to a WIAA Division 1 state title and earned Wisconsin AP and Gatorade Player of the Year honors.

Career (so far): Burkett redshirted in 2022. He is expected to compete with Braedyn Locke and Nick Evers for the backup quarterback job this fall.

Recruitment: A 6-foot-1, 225-pound prospect from Illinois, Tyler Jansey chose Wisconsin over offers from Eastern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), New Mexico State, Toledo and Western Michigan. The projected inside linebacker earned an offer after a strong camp performance this past summer and visited UW three more times in 2021. Jansey enrolled early and recently completed his first spring camp.

Recruitment: Mabrey Mettauer technically wasn't the first commit for the Badgers in the 2024 class. The first to pop was actually Austin Alexander, though the new staff decided to move in a different direction in January. The three-star cornerback is currently committed to Kansas.

During Mettauer's recruitment, he racked up offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, California, Florida, LSU, Miami (FL) and North Carolina, among others. His recruitment ultimately came down to the Badgers and Tar Heels, and his relationship to coordinator Phil Longo was key.

Recruitment: Landyn Locke, the younger brother of Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke, announced his commitment to the Badgers on Thursday. He chose UW over scholarships from Miami (FL), Southern Methodist, Tulsa and Western Kentucky.

"I went down there for a week - Sunday through Saturday," Locke told BadgerBlitz.com. "I've never been up to Wisconsin, so it was my first time seeing everything in person. It's going to sound cliché, but I fell in love with Wisconsin and everything about it.

"From the strength coaches, to the assistant coaches, to the city, to facilities - everything about it just blew me away. Honestly, the city of Madison itself was really nice. It felt like a great place to be and it felt like home. I was really surprised with how nice everything was at every place we went. I just enjoyed everything about it."

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