Recruiting Anniversary: Chikwe Obasih and Rob Wheelwright

Recruiting is all about momentum, and the University of Wisconsin had a lot of it going into the 2013 recruiting cycle. The Badgers were coming off consecutive conference titles and trips to the Rose Bowl, had a decent amount of scholarships to work with and a lot of talented Midwest players on their radar. Imagine how good the Wisconsin staff felt on April 29, 2012, when UW landed a pair of those targets following their spring game: the top player in the state in Brookfield Central’s defensive end Chikwe Obasih and their top receiver on the board in Columbus (OH) Walnut Ridge receiver Rob Wheelwright.

In this latest edition of recruiting anniversaries, we look back eight years at the double commitment.

Coming off back-to-back Big Ten championships, Bret Bielema had to feel good about his chances of putting together a heck of a class. There were a lot of good seniors in the state of Wisconsin, a lot of talented Midwest players who the Badgers saw as strong fits and UW’s stock hadn’t been this high in over a decade. The class was already off to a strong start with commitments from Illinois linebacker Garret Dooley and Wisconsin tight end T.J. Watt (both of whom would later play professionally).

For a non-Wisconsin-offensive lineman, Obasih had a really solid offer list. He had scholarships from California, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Ole Miss, Purdue, Vanderbilt and several others.

Wheelwright was a top-50 receiver nationally and had a solid offer list that included Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and West Virginia.

Obasih was targeted by Wisconsin’s coaching staff dating back to early his junior year, as the Brookfield Central product was invited to attend Wisconsin’s big wins over Nebraska and Penn State in 2011. Wisconsin’s February junior day was the start of a busy swing that would take him to Illinois, Purdue, Nebraska and Iowa State, so getting a scholarship offer from the Badgers set the tone.

"They're in-state, so you always have to make that a high choice, so I can stay home and close to family,” Obasih told me. “A lot of people from my high school from my high school play there. There's a tradition of people from our high school going there.”

That tradition weighed on Obasih, especially since he heard it from the hallways of his school that he should pick on Wisconsin on practically a daily basis. The Badgers coaching staff was pretty patient, but when Obasih returned for the Wisconsin spring game after taking other Big Ten trips, he finally started to feel the pressure to commit.

Although he wasn’t having the best visit, Obasih still wanted to be there, a sign that it was the right place for him athletically and academically.

Wheelwright was considered a hot commodity by multiple Wisconsin coaches and the Badgers were the first school to offer him in June 2011 shortly after attending Wisconsin’s high school summer camp.

“It was a big deal,” Wheelwright told me at the time. “I attended the one-day camp and after the camp, they asked me to stay another night. Coach Bielema brought me into his office, talked about my film and how I was performing in the one-on-one and the 7-on-7s and he offered me right there on the spot.”

Wisconsin’s chances seem to take a big hit following the 2011 season, as receivers coach DelVaughn Alexander and recruiting contact Joe Rudolph both moved on to other jobs. Throw in the fact that Wheelwright got a Michigan offer and had been talking to Ohio State, many started to erase Wheelwright’s name off the commit list.

Enter receivers coach Zach Azzanni, who made Wheelwright his top priority. Wheelwright and Azzanni talked constantly and really build a solid relationship with each other. When Wheelwright made his second trip up to Wisconsin for the spring game, he was given VIP treatment and was engaged in multiple one-on-one conversations with the staff.

Following the spring game and having seen the facilities, the direction of the program and conversing with personable people, Wheelwright was convinced that his college choice was Wisconsin.

“They were one of the only schools that have my major. That was one of things that struck me there. A former Badger and student at my high school toured me around the business school and I saw the actuarial science and risk management program. Most don't have that program to the caliber that Wisconsin does.”

-Obasih to Benjamin Worgull, April 29, 2012

After initially playing with a reckless abandon, relying on his athleticism and speed to correct any minor mistakes he was making to attack the ball carrier and make the tackle, Obasih has grown over his senior season and relied more on his technique, played within himself while still maintaining that aggressiveness. He's a quick, athletic kid who is light on his feet and does well in space. He has good closing speed and shows he's capable of putting heat on the quarterback. <p>

Obasih appears more comfortable in a three technique than anywhere else, as he likes to play that slant/tackle position, giving the new coaching staff some options with him. His swim move is a deadly weapon at the high school level, so it’ll be important for him to continue to build that along with his bull rush. Although he’s a little light now, Obasih has the frame to play at 275 pounds and be a disruptive force.

-My signing day scouting report on Obasih

Wheelwright is the younger brother of former Minnesota receiver Ernie Wheelwright (2004-'07), and it’s evident that playing the position runs in the family. Wheelwright has a knack for making plays and has got even better over the last two years after spending the summer improving his body, his routes and his overall game. With his high school saying Wheelwright reminds him of a young Nick Toon, Badgers fans are hopeful that Wheelwright makes an impact right from the start.

-My signing day scouting report on Wheelwright

Obasih was named a starter during his redshirt freshman season and was one of the most consistent players in Wisconsin’s 3-4 scheme, leading the defensive line in tackles for loss his first two years and playing every game all three years. Unfortunately for Obasih, his body started to betray him in 2017 for his senior year. He was limited to eight games and made only 11 tackles while dealing with countless injuries and yielding playing time to Alec James and Conor Sheehy. Playing in 49 games with 31 starts, Obasih made 95 total tackles, including 9.0 TFLs and 4.0 sacks.

Just the opposite happened to Wheelwright, who never redshirted and seemed to be consistently injured every spring and fall camp, which would cost him valuable time on the field. It took him nearly two full seasons to score his first collegiate touchdown and a broken leg cost him four games from a promising junior season in late October. He finished that season with career highs in catches (32) and touchdowns (four), but his senior season could be argued his best because he finally was able to play every game. He caught 34 passes for 448 yards (13.2 average) and a touchdown that senior.

Never having more than 100 yards receiving in a game, Wheelwright caught 69 passes for 890 yards (12.9 average) and six touchdowns in 47 career games.

Injuries took their toll on Obasih, who decided not to pursue a professional career after he re-tore his labrum and was dealing with hip and knee problems. Wheelwright went undrafted and signed a free agent deal with the New York Giants. After getting cut by the Giants less than a month after he signed, Wheelwright signed a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in late July. When he got cut by the Chiefs that September, Wheelwright was out of the NFL.

Injuries derailed the career of both players, but their talent was undeniable. In his first game back since breaking his leg, Wheelwright delivered a one-handed catch in the Holiday Bowl that is still one of the best ever by a UW receiver. Obasih was a key cog for a UW defense that ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring defense (13.7 ppg) and No. 2 in total defense (268.5 ypg) in 2015 and was part of a senior class that went 45-10, including 29-5 in Big Ten play and 11-1 record in rivalry games. Both were ranked three-star prospects by Rivals.com and were just that for UW.