With official visits and summer camps set to kick off in a few days, BadgerBlitz.com looks at five burning questions Wisconsin fans have heading into June.
RELATED: Wisconsin's official visitor list continues to grow | Ranking Wisconsin's official visitors from most to least likely to commit | 3-2-1: Taking a look at Wisconsin's first weekend of officials and camp | Visitor list for Wisconsin's summer camps |
1. Who will be commit No. 2 for Wisconsin in the 2022 class?
At this time last year, Wisconsin had 11 commitments from prospects in the 2021 class. In 2022, the Badgers have just one from Myles Burkett, who made the call for UW in late January. No. 2 will almost certainly come in June, but who will it be?
From inside the state, Barrett Nelson and Isaac Hamm are safe bets. Wisconsin almost certainly leads for both and, at this point, neither has an official visit scheduled to another school.
"After my officials, there's a potential chance I could be making that decision very soon after those," Hamm told BadgerBlitz.com. "If that decision isn't made after those, it will be made during my senior football season."
Nationally, the Badgers have to feel good about where they sit for four-star defensive tackles Curtis Neal and Keith Miles Jr., as well as cornerbacks Avyonne Jones and A'Koury Lyde. Receivers Tommy McIntosh and Vinny Anthony are also worth watching, though they'll visit Wisconsin towards the end of the month.
2. Will the Badgers offer a quarterback at camp?
Wisconsin currently has just one quarterback offer out in the 2023 class to Cameron Edge, a scholarship Jon Budmayr extended before he left for Colorado State. With some intriguing talent expected to camp this week, will a second or even third offer go out at the position?
Four-star prospects Mack Howard (Mississippi), Marco Lainez (New Jersey) and Brayden Dorman (Colorado) are the headliners for June 3. Howard, the No. 100 player in the country, currently lists offers from Kansas, Louisville and Middle Tennessee State.
"I think a strong performance will lead to an offer, for sure," Howard told BadgerBlitz.com. "Things with Wisconsin have been going well.
"Coach (Bobby) Dunn loves my athletic ability and the way I can make throws all over the field. Their offense requires you to be able to make every throw and he thinks I'm a really good fit for what they do at Wisconsin. It helps that my school runs a lot of play action, so I'm already familiar with that."
Additionally, Jackson Brousseau (Utah), Raheim Jeter (South Carolina), Aidan Gray (Illinois) and Nick Brown (Connecticut), among others, are set to make the trip to Madison for camp.
From inside the state, arguably the two best players at the position - Chase Spellman (Kettle Moraine) and Tak Takeoka (Waukesha South) - will camp on June 3. Those two will see how they stack up against some elite national talent.
3. Will Wisconsin add to its official visitor list?
At this point, Wisconsin has 18 known officials visitors scheduled to visit Madison in June. And while that list makes up a good chunk of the top targets on UW's board, there are a handful of others who the Badgers are still working to get on campus.
Atop the list is likely Sebastian Cheeks, who told BadgerBlitz.com he is looking to visit this summer. A four-star prospect from Illinois, Cheeks is Wisconsin's top remaining linebacker target in this class.
Staying on the defensive side of the ball, Cristian Driver is still on UW's board at safety. The four-star prospect from Texas currently has just one official lined up to Penn State.
On offense, UW is in the top group for four-star wide outs Dane Key and Omar Cooper Jr. Getting one or both on campus for an official visit would be a big win for the coaching staff. Matthew Golden, a three-star prospect from Texas, is also someone to watch at the position.
At tight end, Wisconsin is still on Boston College commit Jeremiah Franklin, who has been in close contact with position coach Mickey Turner. It will be interesting to see if the three-star talent from Maryland makes his way to Madison in June.
4. Will Wisconsin land Clemson transfer Chez Mellusi?
The last piece to the puzzle in Chez Mellusi's transfer from Clemson appears to be a visit to Wisconsin on June 1. All signs point to a commitment happening during the trip to Madison, but is that a lock to happen?
A former four-star tailback, Mellusi played in 21 games for the Tigers as a backup for Travis Etienne, who was drafted 25th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. In those two seasons, Mellusi tallied 427 yards rushing and six touchdowns on 71 carries and five catches for 38 yards and a score. He was expected to contend with Lyn-J Dixon and Kobe Pace for the starting running back slot but rushed for only 10 yards on five carries in Clemson’s spring game.
A report this spring from Rivals.com’s Mike Farrell said Liberty, Louisville, Purdue, UCF, and Vanderbilt were also in pursuit but that the Wisconsin staff was the most aggressive. Mellusi picked Clemson over finalist Miami and Notre Dame coming out of Naples (Fla.) High School.
5. Will a non-quarterback earn a scholarship at camp?
Quarterback may be the top position to watch on June 3 and June 7, but there are a handful of other campers at other positions who have a chance to earn an offer from the Badgers.
On the offensive side of the ball, position coach Joe Rudolph will likely keep a close eye on 2023 lineman Austin Barrett. The younger brother of current Badger Dylan Barrett, Austin has early scholarships from Illinois and Iowa State. UW has not offered a projected offensive lineman in the sophomore cycle.
Defensively, there should be at least three linebackers who will give the staff something to think about. Class of 2023 standouts Zander Rockow and Tyler Jansey will be in attendance, in addition to in-state prospect Luna Larson, a member of the 2022 class.
Finally, Kentucky safety Mason Moore is someone who could leave with a scholarship in hand. The unranked junior has been in close contact with coordinator Jim Leonhard this spring.
"I’ve heard a good amount from them (Wisconsin) recently," Moore told BadgerBlitz.com. "I had a good phone call with the defensive coordinator, Jim Leonhard. He told me he loved the way I flew around the field and made plays.
"Coach Leonhard told me he thinks I would fit in really well with what Wisconsin does on defense."