With the early signing period for high school football players beginning on Dec. 18, BadgerBlitz.com dives into a closer look at the commits who have signed with the Wisconsin Badgers.

Let's take a look at offensive lineman Dylan Barrett, who officially signed with Wisconsin on Wednesday.

Barrett is a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, rated the No.15 overall prospect in the state of Illinois.

Barrett picked Wisconsin early in the 2020 recruiting cycle, committing to the Badgers over other Power 5 offers from Boston College, Duke, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Northwestern, Purdue, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.

First appearing on the radar of scouts following his strong sophomore season, Barrett picked up his first scholarship offer from Northern Illinois in January 2018 and first Power 5 offer from Illinois not long after. That spring was busy for Barrett, who took an unofficial visit to Champaign and took closer looks at Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern and Notre Dame, the latter being Barrett’s admitted dream school growing up.

Wisconsin offensive line coach Joe Rudolph started to make his strong run at Barrett in late April, inviting him to a Badgers' spring practice.

"Coach Rudolph said he likes my film and they are very interested," Barrett said. “I really like it at Wisconsin. The academics, culture, coaches and facilities are great.”

The visit to Wisconsin convinced Barrett to return to Madison later that year for a high school summer camp. That interest kept Rudolph on the hook, as UW visited Barrett’s high school multiple times and decided to offer him a scholarship prior to seeing him at camp.

Barrett visited and camped at several schools prior to his junior year, including Iowa and Notre Dame, and picked up several of his Power 5 offers that September, but it was his impressions of the Wisconsin program and the relationship he had been building with Rudolph that dwarfed all other suitors. Following an unofficial visit in October 2018, 14 months until his national signing day, Barrett pulled the trigger.

“I always liked Wisconsin from even a young age, and when I got to visit there for the first time last winter I really liked it. Then as I took more visits up there, I got to work with the coaches. Being around them and the team, that made it clear to me it was the choice.” – Barrett to BadgerBlitz.com

“Physically, Barrett has all the tools you want. Dylan has good size, a big frame and is long … I think he's probably more physically ready-made at this point in comparison to a kid like David Edwards, who was a quarterback in high school. That's not Dylan, because he's as ready-made physically as it gets.

“I think he winds up being a guard because he has enough mobility. He's probably a legit 6-foot-5 and he's a very mobile and fluid kid with good bend. Where he will struggle is in camp settings where it's 100 percent pass protection because all they do at St. Charles East is power run through the option game. So, he doesn't get a chance to pass block very often, but for a kid who hadn't done it much before, I thought he more than held his own at the Rivals.com camp this summer.

“Off the field he's a really smart and well-mannered kid; very "yes sir, no sir." He's just a Wisconsin kid as far as his personality, approach and work ethic, it just fits with the kids Wisconsin gets. He's not a flash-and-dash kid or someone who a big-time social media guy. He's a down-to-earth, humble, Midwest kid who will work and put the time in for you. Just a really good player.”

- Rivals.com's EdgyTim, who covers football recruiting in the state of Illinois:

Slotted to be an interior lineman for Wisconsin, Barrett will be joining a program that will lose some depth this offseason with the impending graduation of guard Jason Erdmann and the likely early departure of Tyler Biadasz. While Wisconsin rarely plays true freshmen on the line, Barrett will get opportunity to show a skill set that can best be described as “brilliant simplicity.”

In watching his film, Barrett isn’t flashy, but he does make the plays that are a necessity to make his school’s offense tick. He has gone on record saying he plays with the proverbially “chip on the shoulder,” believing, “that I’m going to be better than the guy who lines up across from me.”

Barrett’s current strength is run blocking in large part due to his footwork (he also participates in track) and the fact that St. Charles East runs an option offense. Having played varsity since his freshman season, Barrett’s physicality is his biggest trait, which should help him smoothly transition into a college program and weight room as he looks to build up his confidence in pass blocking.