With head coach Paul Chryst scheduled to announce Wisconsin's 2017 recruiting class Wednesday, BadgerBlitz.com contributors Jon Gorman, John Veldhuis and Jon McNamara provided their insight on the expected crop.

Note: This report reflects UW's class as of 1/30/17

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Veldhuis: This has to be Kayden Lyles, at least to me. Maybe it’s just because I got the chance to see him play in person this season, but Lyles was able to dominate his high school competition after moving back to Wisconsin from Arizona with his family. Lyles, who is already on campus, has great size and speed for a 6-foot-3, 300-pound interior lineman, and I think he has the potential to make an impact sooner rather than later – possibly after a redshirt season.

Gorman: Pound for pound (or otherwise, for that matter) Kayden Lyles is my choice for top prospect. The younger brother of sophomore quarterback Kare' Lyles, look for Kayden to come in as an interior offensive lineman despite playing on both sides of the ball for Middleton this year. Lyles shows quick feet for a man of his size and natural power to maul linemen who line up across from him. The four-star prospect ended his recruitment early, but one has to think he would have added to an already impressive offer list that also included Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and USC, among many others, had not committed to UW. Despite having an upperclassmen-laden group ahead of him, look for Lyles to make at least the two-deep early on.

McNamara: I, too, am a huge fan of Kayden Lyles, who certainly has a bright future at Wisconsin. But to avoid repetition, I'll go with Jonathan Taylor, the No. 13 running back in the country. As a senior, Taylor rushed for 2,815 yards and 37 touchdowns and should have a chance to contribute as a true freshman despite Wisconsin currently having a crowded backfield.

From Rivals.com recruiting analyst Adam Friedman: “Taylor put up massive numbers this season, setting the New Jersey state record for rushing yards. The Wisconsin commit is a big back with speed that you'd normally associate with smaller players. Taylor is a great fit in Wisconsin's heavy downhill running scheme.”

Veldhuis: This feels like a bit of a cheat to me, but four-star JUCO signee Andrew Van Ginkel will have plenty of chances for early playing time as soon as he starts practicing with the team this spring. With Vince Biegel’s career at UW complete and T.J. Watt off to the NFL a year early, the Badgers have two outside linebacker spots to fill – and Van Ginkel is a strong candidate to fill one of them. He’ll have to fight off the likes of Garret Dooley, Zack Baun, Christian Bell and others, but his path to playing time is clearer than anyone else who signed with UW this year.

Gorman: Other than Adam Bay, who will likely be a four-year starting long snapper, look for Andrew Van Ginkel to get meaningful snaps early on. Coming from Iowa Western Community College, Van Ginkel will be tasked to replace Vince Biegel and/or TJ Watt, who are both set to play on Sundays. Other than Garret Dooley, who got more and more snaps as the season went on, the Badgers aren’t returning much experience at the outside linebacker spots, and there is opportunity for Van Ginkel to really step up and make his presence felt on Day 1.

McNamara: Adam Bay is as close to a lock as you're going to get for early playing time in this class. But I'll go with Cade Green, a state champion wide out from Lake Travis High School in Texas. Position coach Ted Gilmore showed his willingness to play true freshmen in 2016, as both Quintez Cephus and A.J. Taylor saw time in the receivers' rotation. And with the high-level of coaching Green received at the prep level paired his current skill-set, the three-star prospect may to be ready to play this fall if he can digest the playbook.

Veldhuis: Seeing an in-state offensive lineman go from obscurity to a starting spot shouldn’t surprise you anymore, but Alex Fenton from Menomonie strikes me as a sleeper-type. He’s got a good frame (6-foot-5, 283 pounds) and the Badgers offered him early, locking up all four of their offensive line spots with in-state prospects early in the cycle. Fenton was given a two-star rating, but he was clearly a priority for the Badgers in this cycle.

Gorman: I’m very proud to have called Quintez Cephus in last year’s version of this article, and my sleeper for this year is also a wide receiver: Emmett Perry. The three-star from Texas committed to Wisconsin last season without fanfare, but there is plenty of reason to think he will surpass expectations.

The 6-foot-2, 165-pound Perry is long and lanky and will need to bulk up, but he shows impressive hands, shiftiness to separate from defensive backs and ability to high-point the ball and make a catch. Had Perry not been playing with other four-star receivers at powerhouse DeSoto High School, one has to wonder if he would have been more highly recruited. Regardless, it wouldn’t surprise me if Perry’s college career was more productive than his high school career.

McNamara: A shoulder injury during his junior season really impacted Faion Hicks' recruitment out of high school. But the Badgers felt confident about the three-star cornerback from Florida, who is already on campus.

"He's a top-flight kid," Stanford Samuels, head coach at Flanagan High School, told BadgerBlitz.com. "He's an early qualifier and has everything he needs with his test scores and grades. He's a great teammate and a man of few words. At the same time, his teammates will feel his presence.

"Being slept on for so long, I think he has a lot to prove."

Veldhuis: This was a little tougher to pick, but in the end I went with running back Jonathan Taylor. A four-star recruit from Salem, N.J., Taylor was a late addition to the class – he pledged to UW in early November after previously committing to Rutgers. The Badgers pursued a couple different running backs in this class, but the wait seems like it will be worth it for Wisconsin. They’ve had good luck with plucking tailbacks out of the Garden State, and Taylor looks like a good addition to a vital position for the Badgers' future success.

Gorman: When Paul Chryst became coach at Wisconsin, he made it clear that the state of Wisconsin was going to become a major priority once again. Because of that, I think Tyler Beach was the most needed recruit for Chryst in his first full class at UW. Out of the in-state prospects, Beach was the most likely to leave, with both Michigan and Notre Dame offering scholarship offers. But the three-star prospect stayed in-state, which was a major coup for Chryst early in his tenure at UW.

McNamara: Jack Coan is absolutely the most-needed signee for the Badgers, who will only have two other scholarship quarterbacks - Kare' Lyles and Alex Hornibrook - on the roster this spring. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound senior passed for 2,153 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2016 and led his high school to a 10-1 record. With the lack of depth at the position, it was crucial for Wisconsin to land a top-flight signal caller in 2017.

Veldhuis: I was surprised by how early in the process four-star quarterback Jack Coan wrapped up his recruitment and committed to the Badgers in late March of last year. Quarterbacks seem to be committing earlier these days, but I think getting Coan in the boat so early was a big win for Paul Chryst and the UW coaching staff – not only because he’s a top prospect at his position, but because he was able to help recruit other players for UW.

Gorman: The Badgers just simply don’t have a long track record of adding four-star quarterback recruits. That’s why it was such a surprise when Sayville, N.Y., native Jack Coan committed to Wisconsin. Coan, the No. 241 prospect in the 2017 class, committed to Wisconsin over offers from Miami, Michigan and Nebraska, and with his combination of arm strength, accuracy and mobility, he figures to challenge Alex Hornibrook for a starting spot from Day 1.

McNamara: When Wisconsin offered Madison Cone way back in August of 2015, it didn't appear the Badgers would vault into the top group for the three-star prospect from North Carolina. But as his recruitment wore on, Cone's interest in UW continued to grow and a visit this past summer sealed the deal when he chose UW over Boston College, Duke, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. Another early enrollee, Cone is already on campus for spring classes.

Veldhuis: Cade Green might be a name to watch out of this year’s class. The Badgers added him to their signing class less than a month after offering him a scholarship, and he’s pretty polished for a high school wide receiver. Wisconsin could always use more playmakers at that position, so if Green picks up the offense quickly he could be a candidate for early playing time as well.

Gorman: With the Badgers having only two two-star recruits (one of whom is a long snapper), this is a tough one, but my choice is Jake Ferguson. The grandson of Barry Alvarez, Ferguson is a three-star tight end set to join the Badgers from Madison Memorial High School. The reason Ferguson is my choice for most underrated is for his sheer athletic ability. With a 4.71-second 40-yard dash and 34-inch vertical, look for Ferguson, who is also a standout basketball player, to be the next in a line of great receiving tight ends at Wisconsin.

McNamara: At 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, Izayah Green-May looks like a perfect fit on the edge in Wisconsin's 3-4 defensive scheme. There's certainly not a glaring issue with his current three-star ranking, but Green-May could be a prospect we look back on and say he wasn't rated high enough. The early enrollee has as much raw potential as anyone in the Badgers' 2017 class.