Over the next two weeks, BadgerBlitz.com will be bringing our readers final snapshots for each recruited position, covering the targets who are legitimate prospects on Wisconsin's board in the 2021 class. We will discuss the candidates who are committed and most interested in the Badgers, as well as those who came off UW's board.
Today, we continue with a look at the offensive linemen.
QUICK BREAKDOWN
This fall, Wisconsin has to replace three Rose Bowl starters in David Moorman (left guard), Tyler Biadasz (center) and Jason Erdmann (right guard) on the interior. To help ease that transition, Logan Bruss is expected to slide over to guard, a move that will allow Tyler Beach to step into a starting role at right tackle. Kayden Lyles and Josh Seltzner are penciled in to start at center and left guard, respectively, but Joe Tippmann and Cormac Sampson are also options to take over the position Biadasz controlled for the past three seasons.
The future of the offensive line is also a bit more clear in comparison to other positions. The staff has commitments from JP Benzschawel and Riley Mahlman in the 2021 class, with in-state standouts Carson Hinzman, Billy Schrauth and Joe Brunner already holding offers in the following cycle.
CLASS OFÂ 2021 OLÂ NEEDS: 2/3 |Â CLASS OFÂ 2021 OLÂ COMMITS: 2
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 offensive tackle from Grafton (WI) High School committed to UW. In doing so, he became pledge No. 1 for head coach Paul Chryst in the 2021 class.
"Coach Chryst and Coach (Chris) Haering reached out to me about two weeks ago and said they wanted to come by because they were going to be in the area and making a few stops," Grafton coach Jim Norris told BadgerBlitz.com. "I believe one of the stops was to Waukesha North to see the receiver (Chimere Dike) they have there. Obviously with both brothers playing at Wisconsin, the coaches knew who JP was and knew the potential that he had. Really with that first visit, they wanted to see what kind of person JP was and how he handled himself in the hallway, stuff like that.
"And then this past week, Coach Haering and Coach Rudolph were trying to get down here but we had that crazy weather. They made it here on Friday and I let JP know that they wanted to offer. He just asked if this was serious and if I was being real with him. So he obviously accepted and committed on the spot, and it was just great to see how happy he was in that moment. It was a great moment for the family and just awesome for JP to get that early nod from Wisconsin."
Benzschawel is a familiar name around Camp Randall Stadium. Older brothers Beau (former offensive guard) and Luke (former tight end) are part of the legacy, as is JP's father, Scott, and uncle, Eric, who both played for Wisconsin in the 1980s.
