A two-week stretch from late January into early February completely changed the direction of Thomas Heiberger's recruitment.

During that run, the junior outside linebacker from Jefferson High School in South Dakota picked up FBS offers from Texas Tech, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Washington, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Kansas and Kansas State. Prior to that, Heiberger's only scholarships were from North Dakota State, Northern Iowa and South Dakota State.

"It was busy," Jefferson head coach Vince Benedetto told BadgerBlitz.com on Saturday. "Once that first FBS offer came in, it seemed like I was getting phone calls left and right. Tommy was also getting tons of texts and calls, but what makes him really special is how he carried himself.

"The offers and attention didn't change him at all and I think he knew what he wanted from the start. He wanted a school where he was going to win and have good relationships with the coaches. Wisconsin stood out right away and I think he made the right choice."