NSD Preview: A look at Wisconsin's 2021 recruiting class

With head coach Paul Chryst scheduled to unveil Wisconsin's 2021 recruiting class on Wednesday, BadgerBlitz.com contributors Benjamin Worgull, Jake Kocorowski and Jon McNamara provided their insight on the expected 21-athlete group.

NOTE: This report reflects UW's recruiting class as of 12/15/20 and does not include prospects the Badgers could add on Signing Day.

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 |

Worgull: In a normal recruiting cycle, this answer is pretty cut and dry. For the first time in my 15 some odd years of doing this, I had to think a long time about who to put here after UW signed eight four-star prospects and one five-star. My pick here is going to be Muskego (Wis.) High safety Hunter Wohler, the three-time all-state selection. Arguably Wisconsin’s top overall 2021 recruiting target, Wohler is a rare talent who combines strong tackling and a strong passion for football. In three seasons, Wohler had 355 tackles and never lost a game.

"He's a freak," Wohler’s defensive coordinator Ryan Lucchesi told BadgerBlitz.com. "He's a great equalizer as a free safety because he makes a lot of things that could go wrong, right. He loves football, he loves watching film and he communicates like crazy. So, on top of being so physically gifted, he does all the little things. He's one of the best tacklers I've ever seen.”

Picking Wisconsin over offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame and Ohio State, Wohler’s commitment gives UW another hard-hitting safety like a Scott Nelson or an Eric Burrell. If he can continue to improve in his pass coverage, Wohler can easily be a multi-year starter.

Kocorowski: Without a doubt, as this is Wisconsin's highest-ranked class in the Rivals.com era, there could be several choices for this category. If you go by the rankings alone, however, Nolan Rucci is the highest-rated signee for the 2021 class. Not just that, but he is the third five-star player for Wisconsin in the Rivals.com recruiting era.

UW beat out Penn State -- of which both parents, Stacy and Todd, are former standouts in field hockey and football, respectively -- Clemson, LSU, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama, among others for his services.

When talking with Todd Rucci last week about Nolan, he complimented his youngest son on his football IQ but also noted that, "he’s still a puppy."

"He still has a long way to go building his upper body strength and putting some heavy weights on his back and pushing," Rucci told BadgerBlitz.com on Dec. 10. "He has so much potential to grow as far as strength in the weight room that I'm really excited about it because then I think the little stuff that we've talked about, because he's gonna have a learning curve. Playing at the high school level is going to be a little bit different. He’s walking in there and the guys across from him are just as big as he is. They're grown men. There’s going to be a learning curve, but we just hope, hopefully, he's going to prepare himself to be able to kind of mitigate that curve as much as possible and be able to compete and learn from those guys."

If Rucci continues his development, especially under the tutelage of offensive coordinator/line coach Joe Rudolph, he could be something special in Madison.

McNamara: Rucci is clearly the gem of this recruiting class for the Badgers, and I love what Wohler is going to bring to the Badgers. But in order to avoid repetition, I'll go with four-star offensive tackle and 2021 All-American Bowl selection Riley Mahlman. Wisconsin was the first school to offer the Minnesota standout, and that played a large part in his decision to commit to the Badgers over scholarships from Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern and Ohio State.

At 6-foot-8 and 270 pounds, Mahlman, who is also a standout basketball player, is an athletic tackle who has the frame to add plenty of weight when he arrives on campus this spring.

"If I could give you a negative about him I would," Lakeville South head coach Tyler Krebs told BadgerBlitz.com. "Everything you want in a football player, he has. He's big, he's athletic, he's tough, he's physical, he's smart and he has a great feel for the game. So he has everything you can think of and he's a humble kid who loves the weight room. They're just getting a kid who does everything right and someone who works extremely hard. He's has a tremendous upside as a football player as well."

Worgull: If you watched the last three games like I have, one thing has become crystal clear and that's the Badgers have a lack of receivers who are ready to play now. Strong and explosiveness, Markus Allen had 60 receptions for 884 yards and 14 touchdowns this fall. Decommitting from Michigan in September and latching on to Wisconsin in November, Allen's dynamic ability could help fill a gap next season if seniors Danny Davis, Jack Dunn, Kendric Pryor and Adam Krumholz do not return.

"I can tell you he wants to play early at Wisconsin, that's for sure,” Northmont (MI) head coach Anthony Broering told BadgerBlitz.com. He’s guns blazing and ready to get there and go - no doubt about that. Every day, he’ll work towards that goal. Jumping from high school to the Big Ten, I know that’s a big jump. Wisconsin is a great program and they have a lot of great players there and it will be tough. But I wouldn’t bet against him because of that work ethic. With his mental makeup, if he puts his mind to something, he’ll accomplish it. I wouldn’t doubt the kid, and it's been that way since the first day I met him."

Kocorowski: There are so many factors that play into this -- being physically and mentally ready, then also having a more immediate need at the position. I'm going to stay within the wide receiver room and say Skyler Bell. We don't know which seniors, if any, will return, and though we have seen the emergence of Chimere Dike as a true freshman (and for a quarter against Iowa, perhaps Devin Chandler?), who else could step up?

When talking with The Taft School head coach Tyler Whitley during the summer, he told me (at my previous employer, AllBadgers.com) that Bell "is really just blessed with some of the best athleticism that I've seen."

"He really is one of the best athletes in the country in terms of his speed, his explosiveness, all of those things," Whitley said in August. "His numbers are just otherworldly compared to most kids."

As a junior, Bell reeled in 36 passes for 549 yards and eight receiving touchdowns. Whitley mentioned how he could play in multiple ways, whether in the slot or outside while also having the ability to "take the top off the defense."

That versatility could be used in the offense. We'll just see how Bell adjusts to the college level in his first year.

McNamara: There's clearly a path towards early playing time at wide receiver, but I'm going on the other side of the ball. At safety, Eric Burrell and Collin Wilder (announced on Tuesday that he is returning next fall) are both fifth-year seniors. Scott Nelson and Reggie Pearson - if the latter returns to the program - could be the No. 1 duo in 2021, with Titus Toler behind them. But Hunter Wohler, arguably the best defensive prospect that state has produced over the last 20 years, has a chance to come in and compete for reps right away in the two-deep. I think the four-star talent contributes on special teams as a true freshman and transitions into a multi-year starter for the Badgers in the secondary.

Worgull: It's hard to call a prospect with 14 offers (over half coming from the Power Five schools) a sleeper, but that's the case when a class has as much top-end talent as this one for Wisconsin. Considering his brother, Jack Sanborn, led Wisconsin in total tackles last season and does again this season, fans are banking that Bryan Sanborn will out perform the three-star ranking attached to his name. Like his older brother, Sanborn's film shows him as a fit at inside linebacker with his natural instincts and tendency to find the ball carrier and make plays (he had 108 tackles and six sacks in 2019). I wouldn't be surprised if Sanborn contributed in some capacity as a true freshman next season on defense or special teams.

Kocorowski: With the amount of four-star signees in this class, some of the three-star recruits have not receive as much publicity. However, I am high on inside linebacker Jake Chaney. He just looks like a player that will fit the mold of a player you want in the second level patrolling your defense.

"He's a sideline-to-sideline guy," Chaney told BadgerBlitz.com on Dec. 12. "He's become an expert at avoiding blocks, and making yourself small to avoid contact, and he can run from sideline-to-sideline. His best attribute, I think, is the way he studies film.

"I saw somebody critique his senior film and they said, on a college level, he has to be careful about blitzing when a blitz is not called, but they're really not blitzes. They're just based on him studying tendencies and reading defenses and understanding what he saw on film, and it helps him to be in the right place at the right time and really fit very fast."

McNamara: We really haven't seen a healthy Loyal Crawford during his prep career at Eau Claire Memorial. But the in-state standout was on Wisconsin's radar very early in the process and earned his offer after a strong camp performance in the summer of 2019. Crawford, who has yet to play his senior season, certainly isn't one of the most talked about signees in this class, but he could surprise some people after a year or two in the program.

Worgull: From a position standpoint, T.J. Bollers committing in June was not the most pressing for Wisconsin in 2021. Long term is a different story. The Badgers covet dynamic, versatile edge rushers for their defense and those players have used their position to transition into NFL careers (Zack Baun, Leon Jacobs, Andrew Van Ginkel and T.J. Watt the most recent examples). Bollers can easily be in that conversation.

He’ll transition from defensive end to the stand-up rush position, but Bollers – a four-sport prospect – has a deep skillset that will should allow him to handle the switch easily because of a relentless motor and pursuit to the ball.

Wisconsin has recruited a lot of edge rushers over the last few recruiting cycles (three projected in this class alone), but Bollers might be the best of the bunch. Plus, landing Bollers – the No.103 prospect nationally - over home-state Iowa, Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame and several others is a major coup.

Kocorowski: I'm going back to the wide receiver room with Skyler Bell. Besides reeling in Markus Allen later in the cycle, Wisconsin had not actually received an oral commit from a projected wide receiver until the East Coast wide out announced his intentions to play for the Badgers in August. Someone like Jaylin Noel, who had UW in his top six in February, reduced his top two schools to Iowa State and Nebraska before choosing to play for the Cyclones in the Big 12.

Now that Wisconsin has two intriguing wide receivers being added to Alvis Whitted’s room, it will greatly benefit that skill position.

McNamara: I thought Wisconsin needed two scholarship tight ends in this class, something it did in the previous two cycles. But after missing on a few targets - Louis Hansen (Michigan), Terrance Ferguson (Oregon), Gunnar Helm (Texas) - Jack Pugh will be the lone signee at the position for UW.

The Badgers certainly aren't in panic mode at tight end, but Jake Ferguson could be headed to the NFL a year early and you're going to need production from a relatively young unit in 2021. Pugh, at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, could give the Badgers a vertical threat in the mold of Ferguson, something that is lacking on the current roster.

Worgull: Greenwood Village (CO) Cherry Creek cornerback Al Ashford is the definition of a surprised commitment.

Set to announce his commitment on live local television, the mask-wearing Ashford laid out all 19 scholarship choices on a table in front of him. But when it came time to make his pick, he reached under the table for a bottle of hand sanitizer with a Bucky Badger sticker on the front and donned a red cap. He said the Badgers offered him two weeks prior and he decided not to tell anybody, including his family.

“My whole life … I did things my way and have an idea of how I wanted to accomplish things, get things done,” Ashford said. “My mom would say I was a little hard-headed, but I had an idea that I wanted to do something never done before. I kind of had something nobody has done. I kept a school in the dark. Nobody knew they had offered me; I didn’t tell my own parents that they had offered me, (and) I didn’t tell any coaches.

“I put on the hat and I guarantee you there was a little pause. It went silent. I looked around and then I started hearing cheers. My parents were like “Wisconsin???” … The shock still hasn’t worn off on them.”

Ashford has gone through a massive growth spurt that have seen his height increase from 5-foot-8 to 6-foot-2 over the past year, allowing him to increase his length and even his speed. He was his school’s lockdown corner, getting targeted only 28 times last year and still generating two interceptions and 11 pass breakups in helping his team win the CHSAA 5A state championship last year.

Kocorowski: Going a hint outside the box here, but Braelon Allen's decision to reclassify to the 2021 class was surprising to me. Originally a 2022 recruit and part of a group of six highly-touted in-state prospects, the Fond Du Lac, Wis., native will now enroll at Wisconsin this upcoming summer and make up a dynamic set of incoming defensive backs that includes three four-star players and a ballhawk in Ashford.

McNamara: Ashford was absolutely the biggest surprise in this cycle for the Badgers. But I'll go back to the fall of 2019 when Wisconsin was watching tape on 2022 in-state offensive lineman Joe Brunner. During the film breakdown between Whitefish Bay and Homestead, the coaching staff identified Ayo Adeobgun, a relative unknown on the recruiting front at the time.

"The game that Ayo had against the Brunner kid from Whitefish Bay really set him apart when it came to recruiting," Highlanders defensive coordinator Matt Wolf told BadgerBlitz.com. "It's one of those things where you're watching tape on one kid and then the guy across from him jumps out. Wisconsin saw him make some plays against a really talented player in that game."

Wisconsin got Adebogun on campus for its next home game and secured a commitment from the projected outside linebacker a few months later.

Worgull: Like most recruited quarterbacks, Deacon Hill made his choice quickly to secure his spot. Getting his offer in spring 2019, Hill committed to the Badgers a couple months later in June. While he’s a big athlete (6-foot-4 and growing) and has a strong, accurate arm, Hill didn’t have much game film entering his junior year. He responded by throwing for over 3,000 yards, completing 58.7 percent of his passes and having 33 touchdowns to seven interceptions.

On the cusp of four-star status, Hill’s senior fall season was moved to the spring because of COVID. Further evaluation and another standout season for Santa Barbara High could give him the bump that many UW fans believe is warranted.

"He reminds me a lot of Drew Bledsoe because Deacon is comfortable sitting in the pocket and hitting his second or third read,” high school coach JT Stone told us after his commitment. “Last minute, he can find that guy, and that's something that you really can't coach. Kids get excited - they want to run around and move - but Deacon will sit in the pocket and go through his first, second and third options. He can always find that outlet within the system. Deacon is a pocket passer who can read the field, and that's what keeps our offense rolling."

Kocorowski: A finalist for Minnesota’s “Mr. Football” award this season, Jake Ratzlaff apparently could do it all. According to Rosemount (MN) head coach Jeff Erdmann, "he could have started at any position on our team, and you can't say that of too many guys in a 6A program."

Ratzlaff played safety and outside linebacker on defense, along with tight end on the other side of the ball. During the trio of years as a varsity starter, the three-star prospect accumulated 261.5 tackles, 28.5 TFLs and 10.5 sacks, 33 total receptions, blocked five kicks (including two field goal attempts) and 11 total touchdowns.

Where Wisconsin projects Ratzlaff on defense down the road will be intriguing, but he could be a very interesting player. One of his future teammates, who has faced him on the high school field previously, praised him as "a fierce competitor."

"He works so hard," Mahlman told BadgerBlitz.com on Dec. 10. "He played all aspects of the game. He plays offense and defense. I played against him three years now, and he’s always been a force. You always have to know where he is on the field.

"I know he can play all positions. Against us, he played safety, he played tight end. He played a little bit of outside linebacker. He really does everything for the team, so wherever Wisconsin plugs him at, he’s going to be a tremendous piece for the team.”

McNamara: You have to scroll close to the bottom of Wisconsin's commit list to locate tailback Antwan Roberts, who committed to the Badgers this spring over offers from Cincinnati, Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis, Missouri and Vanderbilt. But with the way UW has recruited and developed running backs under Chryst, Roberts, in my opinion, has a great opportunity to outperform his current rating.

"He's 6-foot-2 and about 195 pounds right now, and you just look at him and see the upside he still has," head coach Justin Geisinger told BadgerBlitz.com. "He has a lot of room to fill out and he really got serious about the weight room in the last year or so. He's a young guy with a lot of growing to do. Being a long and lean kid, he's incredibly strong and explosive, and you can see that on tape. The most exciting thing to me is thinking about what he's going to be when he gets into Wisconsin's strength program. He'll be a 200-plus pound back who is going to be very exciting to watch. His best football is clearly ahead of him and Wisconsin obviously saw that."