MADISON — On National Signing Day, head coach Luke Fickell as well as recruiting staffers Max Stienekcer, Pat Lambert and Casey Rabach were available to the media as Wisconsin signed their best class of the Rivals.com era.

Here are some quick quotes and takes on the majority of Wisconsin's record-setting class:

Fickell: “The thing about Ernest is, you see a guy who’s just scratching the surface. I know he’s got a lot of talent and he’s a highly ranked guy, but when you look at him, it’s a guy that in another year and a half or a year will be completely different…what he provides when he walks in the door is a little different than what we have, but what he could be in another year and a half is what gives us the chance to go to the next level.”

Fickell: “We’re looking for length and athleticism, and the other thing I’m looking for is wrestlers. It’s just the nature of the beast, guys that have a little different mentality. Obviously he might be the top rated high school wrestler, or heavyweight in the country. He might not be ranked No. 1 right now, but he also played 15, 16 football games…The thing that he gives us when he walks in the door here is the culture of what it is we’re continuing to push here…He’s a very physical guy, I’m not saying the length and athleticism that maybe we were talking about, but a guy that has an incredible amount of intangibles to be able to come in I think and play right away.”

Fickell: “Landon we’re really excited about, and the great thing about Landon is he’ll be here in a couple weeks. That’s the unique thing for him. He gets to come in here, January 15th and get a jump start on school, jump start on winter lifting with the guys and then it's spring ball, in a position we need some depth. Not that you count on young guys to come in and to play right away, but the guy that comes in early, the guy that has the size and strength that he has, he’s got some things walking in the door…to be able to really contribute next year.”

Fickell: “Dillin is an all-around really good back with a lot of versatility, that again is scratching the surface that he can be.”

Stienecker: “Obviously a leaner body, a little longer, but the kid can run. He’s got a wrestling background as well, which is a plus, too, for coach Fickell. Kid runs frickin' hard.”

Fickell: “Darion is a guy that I think is very unique in his ability to not just play in the backfield, but play outside the backfield, to catch the ball. Incredible ball skills.”'

Stienecker: “Someone who brings a different speed. Elite pass-catcher out of the backfield. Great change of direction. Just has some things you can’t teach, point blank.

Fickell: “Gideon is different than those two. He’s more the physical guy that’s gonna be 230-some pounds that is a really downhill, physical run guy that gives us some balance to that room.”

Fickell: “There’s obviously a lot to like, and he’s exactly what we want to target with length and athleticism. A guy that played four sports, I mean he was playing baseball last year in the spring, running track for the first hour and a half, and after he ran his track he switched over to a baseball uniform. He’s a guy that I feel, there’s a lot of different positions he could play at. We have him listed as outside linebacker, I think he could come in and play some inside linebacker. Again, another guy that’s just scratching the surface. You guys have seen a little of what Christian Alliegro has done this year, a guy that would be in a similar mold — okay, he’s got some length, some athleticism, now we just gotta find him the fit and position and continue to build. That’s exactly what Thomas is. The great thing about Thomas, he gets to come in here in a few weeks…He’s another guy I would say needs to help us and play next year, just gotta figure out where.”

Fickell: “To actually watch him play, we don’t get that much time to go down and watch him in-person. But I’ve learned what kind of person he is, what kind of family he’s got. Just coming up here and spending some weekends. More than anything, we’ve got a guy that’s very well-rounded. We’ve got a guy, at that position in particular, that’s humble and hard-working. I think that you can’t ask for anything more. We know that he’s got talent; it’s pretty easy to pop on the tape, see the size, see his ability to run, see his ability to throw the ball. There’s a lot of development that he will still have to continue to do, but I think he’s got the makings of a guy that can lead this program. It starts with the ability, it starts with the work ethic and it starts with understanding the guys up front really matter. Since he started off as an offensive lineman, since his brother’s a starting offensive lineman at Oklahoma, he understands where the game is won even though the most important position is still quarterback…He really deeply understands what it takes.”

Stienecker: “We were very upset on June 20, but we also understand he’s a kid making the biggest decision of his life. I think he got pulled in different directions and had second thoughts, and I think as the season progressed, he began to understand, I can accomplish everything in my backyard right here in Wisconsin. You wanna play for a top 10 program, you wanna play for a top 10 academic institution, you wanna play for the No. 1 college town in America, you wanna play for the best coach in America, you can do all those things right here. You wanna be developed to play on Sundays, you can do that at Wisconsin. So I think he began to understand as time went on, why leave? Why go far?”

Lambert: “Obviously, kinda Will Pauling skillset. Being able to find space in the open field, extremely athletic and dynamic. I think just really trusting our eval, and obviously wanting to do a great job in Wisconsin and Chicago, and that paid off for us.”

Rabach: “I’m really excited about Emerson. Obviously you see the size and physique and all that stuff. He looks like a Wisconsin offensive lineman. But his mentality on the field is totally different than his mentality off the field. He’s just kinda a big gentle giant…but when he gets on the field, that’s something different. He brings some physicality and some toughness and some ruthlessness that I’m really excited about. There’s a lot of guys I’m really excited about in this class; he’s one of them for sure.”

Lambert: “Raphael Dunn is an athlete. He’s gonna come in here and grow. We don’t really know — we’re not gonna pigeonhole him on just being a safety, a dollar, anything like that. We’re gonna get him in the weight room, on the field and kinda let him naturally develop.”

Lambert: “Jay Harper is probably the rawest out of the group. I think he’s got a lot of intangibles to be a guy that can really make a difference. I think he’s athletic, twitchy, has a lot of those tools. The ball down there is a little different.”

Lambert: “Xavier I would say, just his length and size and athleticism. He had a really really good senior year. Obviously with some teams trying to come in and come after him late.”

Lambert: “Omilio Agard, we’re really fired up about as well. I think he’s the most savvy. I think he’ll be able to come in here and really help us because he’s played a lot, he’s played at a high level for a long time.”

Stienecker: “That’s something Pat and I were blown away with, that there was that (Hawaii) pipeline here. They’re just tough kids that fit in at Wisconsin. Anelu is a twitched up kid who brings something maybe we weren’t great at this past year and that’s pass rush.”

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