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NSD Preview: How Wisconsin put together its best class of the Rivals era

Wisconsin's coaching staff and recruiting department will make history on Wednesday by inking the program's first top 25 recruiting class during the Rivals.com era, which dates back to 2002.

The uptick in recruiting has sparked the Badgers' "change the way they talk about us" message, something Director of Player Personnel Saeed Khalif has shared on social media accounts this month.

"That messaging reaches kids who want to do it but somebody is telling them something else," Khalif told reporters on Monday. "So it's kind of 'change the way they talk about us.' They're no longer calling you that place that won't recruit the guys with the higher ratings.

"We recruit to fit and need. And if your rating becomes a higher rating, good for us and good for you. A lot of these guys when we put them on our board did not have ratings. A lot of times when we do that the ratings aren't out yet. So it's true evaluation, it's truly looking at them and doing some vetting, making sure they can match what it is. And when the ratings come, well it's exciting, it's a scorecard for us. If it didn't matter, they wouldn't rate them. It just so happens that we chose efficiently and effectively early on and they end up with ratings."

RELATED: NSD: Peer-to-Peer: Deacon Hill on Wisconsin's projected commits on offense | Rucci-on-Rucci: Breaking down Wisconsin commit Nolan Rucci | NSD: Chaney-on-Chaney: Breaking down Wisconsin ILB commit Jake Chaney | NSD Preview: Wisconsin's recruiting competition in the 2021 class | NSD: Chaney-on-Chaney: Breaking down Wisconsin ILB commit Jake Chaney | NSD Preview: A look at Wisconsin's 2021 recruiting class |

To get National Signing Day started, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at how Paul Chryst and his staff put together this special group.

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1. ARRIVE EARLY TO THE PARTY 

Wisconsin was the first school to offer 2021 quarterback Deacon Hill.
Wisconsin was the first school to offer 2021 quarterback Deacon Hill. (Darren Lee/BadgerBlitz.com Photographer)

The first thing that jumps out when looking at Wisconsin's 2021 recruiting class is the early - and often correct - evaluations by the coaching and recruiting staff. For a handful of commits - a list that includes Deacon Hill, Nolan Rucci, JP Benzschawel, Riley Mahlman, Jackson Acker, Ayo Adebogun, Loyal Crawford, Hunter Wohler and Bryan Sanborn - the Badgers were the first Power Five program to offer. From that group, four currently carry a four-star rating or higher.

"Absolutely it's been helpful," head coach Paul Chryst said Monday when asked about getting an early start on prospects in the 2021 class. "Not all of them have been on campus, but we believe any time you get people on campus here, it helps. Often times when they're on campus, they're meeting not just the coaches and the staff and all those that support them, but they're around our players. Because in the end, recruiting is about finding the right fit. And for them to find the right fit I think they got to be around the players and know what it is they're really entering into."

Wisconsin wasn't the first school to extend a scholarship to Jake Chaney, Darryl Peterson, Antwan Roberts or T.J. Bollers. But all four out-of-state athletes picked up offers early in the process and, more importantly, visited in the fall of 2019. Peterson and Bollers both chose UW over an offer from Alabama, among many other schools, and Chaney turned down a late push by Florida State, the university his father played at.

"It absolutely helps when we did get kids early and a number of them were at games last year, so they at least have a sense of what a game-day atmosphere is like," Chryst said. "They were able to come and be around the players. Not all, but certainly a number of them have, and it's always good when you can get that."

2. LOCK UP THE IN-STATE TALENT 

Four-star in-state safety Hunter Wohler chose Wisconsin over Ohio State, among other offers.
Four-star in-state safety Hunter Wohler chose Wisconsin over Ohio State, among other offers.

The formula is relatively simple: Keep the most talented players inside the state of Wisconsin, a tradition dating back to Barry Alvarez's time as head coach. But other programs across the country can attest to just how difficult that can be in each recruiting cycle.

This isn't the most heralded in-state class in Wisconsin's history, but the group does feature three prospects with a four-star rating in Wohler, Benzschawel and Braelon Allen. From that trio, Wohler was a top priority for Ohio State, among many other programs. Allen was also receiving strong interest from the Buckeyes, who are expected to sign the top recruiting class in the country on Wednesday, at the time of his commitment. Acker, Crawford and Adebogun make up the other half of the group.

"I have long said the key to recruiting success is to build the foundation of your class in your own backyard, then go cherry-pick top, national prospects," Midwest Recruiting Analyst Josh Helmholdt told BadgerBlitz.com. "Few teams execute that strategy as well as Wisconsin and this 2021 class is a perfect example. The Badgers locked up several of the state's top prospects before the 2020 class was even signed, then were able to focus on key targets elsewhere in the Midwest as well as out east and down south.

"Of course, success begets success and as long as the Badgers keep winning on the field, their recruiting fortunes should continue to increase."

Take advantage of our National Signing Day offer at BadgerBlitz.com!
Take advantage of our National Signing Day offer at BadgerBlitz.com!

3. MARCH 1 PROVED TO BE AN IMPORTANT RECRUITING DATE 

Three-star tight end Jack Pugh visited Wisconsin unofficially on March 1.
Three-star tight end Jack Pugh visited Wisconsin unofficially on March 1. (Rivals.com)

A junior day event on March 1 proved to be an important recruiting weekend for the Badgers. The staff hosted Bollers, Peterson, Jack Pugh and Markus Allen, among other prospects that day.

For the first three mentioned, that particular visit put Wisconsin in the driver's seat. And for Allen, a one-time Michigan commit, his unofficial visit to UW was the last recruiting trip he took before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down on-campus visits across the country. For all four, that date was the final "traditional" recruiting opportunity in their heads as they narrowed in on final decisions.

"The pandemic was tough on the kids," Northmont (MI) head coach Anthony Broering told BadgerBlitz.com. "They couldn’t go to the places they wanted - I think the week before we shut down here in Ohio, we were planning on going to Ohio State on a Friday and we got shut down on Thursday.

"Markus never really got to go to Ann Arbor, and that made it difficult. So he had that comfort level with Wisconsin and they did a great job with him. Once he committed to Michigan they backed off. And then when he decommitted they reached out to check on him and things just went from there."

4. GET TOP TALENT FROM OTHER STATES

Five-star offensive tackle Nolan Rucci is the top player in Pennsylvania.
Five-star offensive tackle Nolan Rucci is the top player in Pennsylvania. (Rivals.com)

In the 2021 class, the Badgers were able to land a top three player in four different states: Benzschawel (1), Wohler (2) and Allen (3) in Wisconsin; Bollers (2) in Iowa; Rucci (1) in Pennsylvania; and Mahlman (1) in Minnesota. You could also argue Jake Ratzlaff deserves to be in that top three, as well, in the Gopher State. Peterson (9) and Allen (10) are top 10 players in talent-rich Ohio, as well as members of the Rivals250.

“I sensed more aggression with Wisconsin this year in recruiting and they seemed slower to move on from difficult recruitments," Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell told BadgerBlitz.com. "That’s why they landed some amazing players out of state when there was no way it should have happened. I’m not saying this will happen every year, but they almost seemed ticked off a bit this year and refused to back down on some guys. I liked the approach. Oh and winning consistently never hurts.”

5. STAYING FLEXIBLE DURING A UNIQUE YEAR

Three-star defensive lineman Michael Jarvis committed to Wisconsin without visiting Madison.
Three-star defensive lineman Michael Jarvis committed to Wisconsin without visiting Madison. (Rivals.com)

Four commits from this group - Skyler Bell, Al Ashford, Michael Jarvis and Ricardo Hallman - did not take an on-campus recruiting visit to Wisconsin before their respective commitments. And though Chryst almost always requires the in-person interaction during a traditional visit, he was flexible in this recruiting cycle.

"I give credit to everyone, even when we couldn't have them here," Chryst said on Monday. "I thought you had as good as you could, where you bring campus to them and bring people to them. Those connections that they would normally get on an on-campus visit, officially or unofficial. You try to at least facilitate as much of that as possible because that's a huge decision and a huge part of it is knowing kind of who and what is Wisconsin. A lot of people put in a lot of work and that is really what recruiting is and they have to make a decision."

Khalif, in his fourth year with the program, praised the efforts of Wisconsin's video and graphic department.

"Other than touching the actual people and eating the cheese curds, we try to give them everything virtually," Khalif said on Monday. "We're going to give you an academic meeting, we're going to give you a strength and conditioning [meeting], we're going to show you the facilities, we're going to hit you with the highlight tapes. And State Street is a feature - we're going to show it to you.

"I can't brag on our video team and our post team any more. These guys are phenomenal. I say, 'hey, guys, I want to show them what it's like between the lakes and Memorial Terrace,' and they'll put together a video and we'll have parents on there crying. The type of cinematography that they have done and the things that they have been able to put in video and graphics is phenomenal."

Wisconsin's Recruiting Classes During the Rivals.com Era
RANK YEAR  NATIONAL RANK STAR AVERAGE TOTAL SIGNEES

No. 1

CLASS OF 2021

No. 15

3.48

21

No. 2

CLASS OF 2019

No. 27

3.26

19

No. 3

CLASS OF 2020

No. 28

3.2

20

No. 4

CLASS OF 2014

No. 33

2.88

26

No. 5

CLASS OF 2005

No. 33

2.77

22

No. 6

CLASS OF 2007

No. 34

3.06

18

No. 7

CLASS OF 2017

No. 35

3.11

18

No. 8

CLASS OF 2016

No. 35

3.08

25

No. 9

CLASS OF 2015

No. 37

2.95

19

No. 10

CLASS OF 2003

No. 39

2.81

21

No. 11

CLASS OF 2004

No. 39

2.48

23

No. 12

CLASS OF 2018

No. 40

3.05

20

No. 13

CLASS OF 2011

No. 40

3.05

20

No. 14

CLASS OF 2006

No. 40

2.7

23

No. 15

CLASS OF 2008

No. 41

2.83

24

No. 16

CLASS OF 2009

No. 43

3.0

21

No. 17

CLASS OF 2002

No. 49

2.52

23

No. 18

CLASS OF 2012

No. 57

3.08

12

No. 19

CLASS OF 2013

No. 57

2.84

19

No. 20

CLASS OF 2010

No. 87

2.88

24

AVERAGE

40.5

2.95

20.9

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