Head coach Luke Fickell's first recruiting class at Wisconsin - at least the early signing period portion - is in the books, and BadgerBlitz.com takes one final look at where needs were met or fell short.
We also assign final grades by position before officially putting a bow on 2023 and turning our attention to 2024 and beyond.
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QUARTERBACK | Grade: B
Needed: 1; Signed: 1
Breakdown: Quarterback recruiting was a mess for much of this cycle. The Badgers went all in on Brayden Dorman, only to see him leave UW out of his top group in December of 2021. It took months before Wisconsin sent out its next offer to JJ Kohl, who would have been a realistic target had that scholarship arrived sooner. Bobby Engram soon focused in on Lincoln Kienholz, only to see him commit to Washington. That proved to be a solid evaluation, as Kienholz recently flipped to - and signed with - Ohio State.
Though he won't get a chance to coach him, credit should be given to Engram if Cole LaCrue pans out. The three-star talent from Colorado earned an offer from the previous staff but proved to be a fit in the eyes of new coordinator Phil Longo. Luke Fickell and his new coaching staff could have made a strong push to bring Cincinnati commit Brady Drogosh with them to Madison. Instead, the Badgers stuck with LaCrue, who could be a gem at quarterback in this recruiting cycle.
"I've told you the top things for me (at quarterback) are leader and competitor - a guy that is finding a way to win," Fickell said at his press conference on Wednesday. "If I had to say the top two things about Cole, I'd say that he's a leader and he's a competitor and he's a winner.
"When Coach (Mike) Brown came back from that state championship game, he felt more than anything, he said this guy's a winner, this guy's is a leader. For me on top of all the other things, we felt like he fits what we want to do and I think he's a great fit."
Biggest Miss: Lincoln Kienholz (Ohio State), JJ Kohl (Iowa State)
RUNNING BACK | Grade: B
