Badgers hit the JUCO ranks for four-star Andrew Van Ginkel

In July, Andrew Van Ginkel named Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin as his three finalists from no less than 15 scholarship offers.

Tuesday, the junior college prospect from Iowa Western Community College committed to the Badgers, becoming pledge No. 15 for UW in the 2017 class.

Though listed as a defensive end, Van Ginkel, 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, is expected to play outside linebacker at Wisconsin. He will arrive in January and have two years of eligibility remaining (two to play two).

An Iowa native, Van Ginkel spent two years at South Dakota after graduating high school before winding in the JUCO ranks in January. That decision was made when Bob Nielson took over as head coach at South Dakota in December, replacing Joe Glenn, who retired after four seasons.

This spring, Van Ginkel is expected to compete for time with T.J. Watt (could leave early for the NFL), Garret Dooley, Zack Baun, Christian Bell, Keldric Preston and Noah Burks, among others, for time on the outside.