When Braelon Allen committed to Wisconsin last July, the in-state safety assumed a leadership role in the Badgers' 2022 recruiting.
The four-star prospect, however, reclassified and signed in December as a member of the 2021 cycle. With that, the torch has been passed to Myles Burkett, who announced his commitment to Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon.
"A year ago, Braelon sent a message right away that we can all go to Wisconsin and do something really special," Burkett told BadgerBlitz.com. "He kept his end of the bargain, and I felt like I owed it to him to keep my word as well.
"So that next step is just for the four of them (Carson Hinzman, Billy Schrauth, Isaac Hamm and Joe Brunner) to help stack this 2022 class and expand to a national level to try and put together a really special class."
Burkett, a three-star in-state prospect from Franklin High School, chose UW over scholarships from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH) and Northern Illinois. He was offered by head coach Paul Chryst on Jan. 21 and committed on the spot.
"For the last month and a half it's been pretty regular communication with Wisconsin," Burkett said. "Things started to heat up and they were hinting at that offer, and last week it eventually came. When they offered me, there was that 'wow' factor and the shock of receiving an offer from your dream school. I had no hesitation and I let Coach Chryst know that I was 100 percent in and that I wanted to be a Badger.
"They really liked how I played but also how I carried and handled myself through this time. I was patient and they liked how I didn't jump on something else before they came in. I know Coach Chryst's main point was that he loved the person that I am. From the multiple people that he talked to, they all relayed the same message of what type of person I was, what type of leader I was and what I can bring to their football team. I think those were huge factors in them offering me and I am very grateful to receive that opportunity."
A 6-foot-1, 205-pound junior, Burkett, who passed for 1,236 yards and 11 touchdowns in five games last fall, recently got a small taste of the college game. Earlier this month, he connected with UW freshman receiver Chimere Dike, who was back in the Milwaukee area during winter break.
"So I had Chim come out for a workout - it was just him and then some other guys from my team," Burkett said. "At that time, I was talking to Coach (Jon) Budmayr and Coach Chryst, and they were kind of hinting at what was coming up. Chim was in the area and I wanted to have a high-intensity workout with him and see what it's going to be like at the next level.
"Throwing with him, I thought we had a really good session. Chemistry was a little shaky for the first time, but just throwing to a guy like that with the possibility of playing at Wisconsin with him, it was just a great opportunity. I don't think it went a long way when it came to them offering me, but I think my confidence in going up there and trying to compete and trying to help the team, it definitely made my confidence a lot better."
Hours after his commitment, Burkett was introduced to the business side of college football. Budmayr, his future position coach and lead contact in his recruitment, left to take over as the offensive coordinator at Colorado State.
"Me and Coach Bud got pretty close and he was obviously the lead in my recruitment," Burkett said. "But it's the business of college football and he had a great opportunity in front of him and he had to take it. This is still my home-state - my home school and dream school - and my relationships with the staff and with the team are really good. I'm not going to pass up on that opportunity because of that. When going through my recruitment, Coach Bud was a great coach and a great recruiter, but I committed to Wisconsin, not Coach Budmayr.
"Coach Chryst called me at school the day that it happened, which I was real grateful for me. He called me and just let me know that everything is fine and everything is going to stay consistent on their part. They're still really excited about me and really glad that I'm going to come in and be a Badger. He reassured me that everything is going to be OK and, basically, we're going to move forward as planned, just minus Coach Budmayr."
With the No. 1 designation in the Badgers' 2022 class, Burkett is eager to help recruit both inside the state and nationally moving forward.
"Being the first one, it's going to be my sole voice until we get another one, so that's going to be challenging," Burkett said. "But I'm getting some help from the '21 guys to try and reach out to these guys, both in-state and around the country. I'm going to use the relationships that I have with the four guys inside the state and the group chat that we already have. I'd love to have them come with me.
"The goal is to get on as many guys as possible. Stack this class and try to bring in the best guys to win a national championship. I'm talking to all positions - wide receiver, running back, cornerback, defensive ends all over the country. I'm going to do my due diligence and go through the list of offers to find the guys I feel fit the role of what it's like to be a Badger and who really wants to come here and win some games. I'm going to work hard and try to bring a great class to Wisconsin, and that's my main goal for the future."
Roughly one year ago, Burkett started to hear from the Wisconsin coaching staff. And just as he was getting ready to take his first visit to Madison in March of 2020, college campuses were shut down across the country. Despite all communication taking place over the phone or virtually since, Burkett is confident in his choice.
"It's a real relief to have it be over and to end up truly where I wanted to be from the get-go," he said. "It's been a crazy last couple of months and us not being able to visit, not being able to really see coaches in person, and vice versa with coaches not being able to see us. It's been a difficult recruiting process.
"In a regular year I could have arguably had more offers and I could have had more looks, but I'm 100,000 percent committed to Wisconsin and I don't have to worry about that anymore."
