Over the next two weeks, BadgerBlitz.com will be bringing you snapshots for each recruited position, covering the targets who are legitimate prospects on Wisconsin's board in the 2022 class. We will discuss the candidates who are most interested in the Badgers, as well as those who are considered long shots to commit to UW.
As always, this is just a snapshot in time and things remain fluid. Additional offered targets will appear over the next few months and some recruits will inevitably choose other colleges.
Today, we continue with an early look at the linebackers.
Quick Breakdown
Returning starter and redshirt senior Noah Burks has big shoes to fill on the edge in 2020, with Izayah Green May, Jaylan Franklin, C.J. Goetz and Spencer Lytle battling for a spot alongside him with the No. 1 defense. Four-star 2020 signee Nick Herbig enrolled early, with Kaden Johnson and Aaron Witt arriving this summer. In the junior cycle, the Badgers have a commitment from Ayo Adebogun and are in the mix for a few other high-priority targets, a list that includes T.J. Bollers, Darryl Peterson, Jake Ratzlaff and Yanni Karlaftis.
On the inside, Wisconsin is working to find a replacement for Chris Orr, who signed with the Carolina Panthers in April. Mike Maskalunas and Leo Chenal are the top two options to pair alongside returning starter Jack Sanborn, with Maema Njongmeta likely behind them. Two of three signees in the 2020 class - Jordan Turner and Preston Zachman - enrolled early, with Malik Reed arriving this summer. And in the 2021 cycle, the Badgers already have commitments from Bryan Sanborn and Jake Chaney and may be done at the position.
Offered Targets
Joshua Burnham, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound projected linebacker from Traverse City Central in Michigan, took in Wisconsin's junior day on March 1.
"Wisconsin is a very cool place and the visit was great," Burnham told BadgerBlitz.com. "I got to talk to a lot of coaches. I got to know them and they got to know me. We toured the campus with Coach (Bob) Bostad and saw all the buildings where you would go to school and stay at as a freshman. We also got to see the city in a way.
"I think my relationship with Coach Bostad is really good. We got to spend the whole day together and he got to know me and my family more."
Burnham also lists offers from Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State and Western Michigan.
