As we count down the days before the start of fall camp, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look back at the four- and five-star signees during the Rivals.com era. How did they fare in Madison and how have the Badgers recruited each position when it comes to the high-end talent?
Today, we examine how Wisconsin has done on the offensive line, one of the premier positions on the roster over the last 20 years.
Recruitment: A multi-sport athlete out of Brookfield Central, Joe Thomas took official visits to Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and Virginia Tech during the course of his recruitment. Thomas, however, narrowed things down to Wisconsin and Notre Dame before his commitment in January of 2003.
"I had the best feel about Wisconsin. I wanted to stay close to home," Thomas told Rivals.com. "Wisconsin has the best combination of track and football. I talked to Coach (Barry) Alvarez, Coach (Jim) Hueber, and Coach (Paul) Chryst. Coach Alvarez was pretty happy."
Career: Thomas will go down as one of the best to ever play for the Badgers. A three-year starter in Madison, Thomas was a 2005 and 2006 first-team All-American. He was also the 2006 Outland Trophy winner as the nation’s most outstanding lineman. Thomas was the No. 3 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2007 and a 10-time NFL Pro Bowl selection.
Recruitment: At the time, Jake Bscherer, the No. 1 player in the state and No. 4 offensive tackle in the country, was the gem of Wisconsin's 2006 class. The former four-star prospect, who committed in January of 2015, chose the Badgers over Michigan and Iowa, among others.
Career: Bscherer never lived up to the hype and transferred from Wisconsin in spring of 2010 after starting six games in 2009. Bscherer then took two years off from football before returning for his final year of eligibility at Minnesota-Duluth, a Division 2 school.
Recruitment: In any other year, John Clay would have been the top prospect for the Badgers, but Josh Oglesby's five-star status cast a shadow over Clay and the rest of the 2007 class. With offers from nearly every school in the country, Oglesby quietly committed to Wisconsin in April of 2006 before he tore his ACL and missed his entire senior season at St. Francis.
Career: Oglesby redshirted in 2007 and started 28 games over the course of his career, but injuries were persistent during all five years. He finished strong, though, and started 13 of 14 games at right tackle in 2011 and was a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection. Certainly not a sub-par career, but it would have been interesting to see what Oglesby could have accomplished with a clean bill of health.
Recruitment: Peter Konz, an in-state prospect from Neenah, ultimately chose Wisconsin over two other Big Ten programs.
"It was between Iowa and Minnesota, I'd say," Konz told BadgerBlitz.com. "Minnesota showed a lot more interest, I'd say, just with sending Coach (Phil) Meyer down. Coach Meyer was a really great guy, you know from the area. And Iowa just constantly being in the Big Ten race for the champion and they also produce good linemen, so you know just good football schools that they are."
Career: Konz started his career at Wisconsin as a defensive lineman but luckily for the staff, they elected to move him back over to offense, where he was a First-team Freshman All-American by The Sporting News. Thirty-two starts later, Konz was named first-team All-American by AFCA and Pro Football Weekly in 2011. The Atlanta Falcons selected Konz in the second round (55th pick overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Recruitment: A rare out-of-state "first," Dan Voltz was likely the most heavily recruited prospect in Wisconsin's 2012 class with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, Notre Dame and Stanford, among many others.
Career: Voltz started 27 games at center but had his career cut short due to injuries. The Outland Trophy watch list member attempted to return from a knee injury that cut his 2015 season short, but that effort was unsuccessful.
Recruitment: The No. 2 in-state prospect in the 2014 class behind Sun Prairie's Craig Evans, Monona Grove's Jaden Gault racked up multiple offers during the course of his recruitment. He committed to Wisconsin in the fall of 2012 but took a late official visit to Arkansas, a program led at that time by Bret Bielema.
"It was really cool to see a different campus," Gault told BadgerBlitz.com. "I've only been to Wisconsin games, so it was great to see the SEC. It was different in a lot of ways. Academically, Wisconsin is a lot better. At Wisconsin I can get a great education and really do what I want. And with football, I'm just a great fit at Wisconsin. Both those things make me really comfortable with my decision."
Career: Gault enrolled at UW but left the program soon after in order to treat depression. He attempted to return in the fall of 2015 but blood clots were found in his lungs, which ended a comeback bid.
Recruitment: Cole Van Lanen, who chose Wisconsin over offers from Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Nebraska, among others, was the No. 2 in-state player in the 2016 class, behind Wolverines' signee Ben Bredeson.
"Comfortability and being close to home were two huge things for me," Van Lanen told BadgerBlitz.com. "I love the coaches a lot and I got close to them really fast, and I have a huge support system at home. I don’t know what I would do without my family, so for them to be able to come to campus for games, that’s a big factor too. So those were two huge reasons why I chose Wisconsin, because I feel like Division 1 facilities are pretty similar - they’re all really nice. It came down to things like my family being able to come see me and getting close to the coaches."
Career: After playing 45 games with 19 starts for the Badgers over the past four seasons, Van Lanen, a native of Green Bay, was selected with the 30th pick in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Packers.
Recruitment: Like his older brother, Kare' Lyles, before him, Kayden Lyles was commit No. 1 for UW in 2017. The four-star prospect was heavily recruited out of Saguaro High School in Arizona and received scholarships from Oklahoma, USC, Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame, among many others. Lyles played his final year of prep ball at Middleton High School.
Career: After a redshirt season, Lyles made seven starts at defensive end in 2018. He moved back to the offensive line the following season and has made starts at both left guard and center. Entering fall camp, the former four-star prospect is slated to start at center during his fifth year with the program.
Recruitment: The No. 1 player in the state of Michigan in the 2019 class, Logan Brown was a huge get for the Wisconsin coaching staff. The standout offensive tackle visited Madison six times before his commitment in the fall of 2017. Wisconsin, which was the first school to offer, beat out Michigan, Alabama, Ohio State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina, among many others, for his services.
Career: Brown played in all seven games in 2020 and saw a good amount of time in the second half of the Duke's Mayo Bowl against Wake Forest. He is expected to open fall camp as the No. 2 left tackle behind Tyler Beach.
Recruitment: The son of Todd Nelson, who played for the Badgers in the late 1980s, Jack Nelson jumped on an offer from Wisconsin in October of 2017 during his sophomore year at Stoughton High School. In 2020, the four-star prospect played in the All-American Bowl just before he enrolled for the spring semester at Wisconsin.
Career: Nelson, who appeared in a pair of games for a total of nine snaps as a reserve tackle in 2020, is expected to start at right guard for the Badgers in 2021.
Recruitment: Trey Wedig, the No. 1 in-state player in the 2020 class, had multiple scholarships. But his recruitment ultimately came down to Wisconsin and Notre Dame.
"When I spent some time with Coach (Joe) Rudolph and saw more of Madison, I got a feeling that Wisconsin was the right place for me," Wedig told BadgerBlitz.com. "I committed today because it felt like the right time."
Career: Wedig redshirted in 2019 and did not see game action last fall. He is expected to open camp as the No. 2 right tackle behind Logan Bruss.
Recruitment: Wisconsin was the first school to offer Riley Mahlman, who turned out to be the top player in Minnesota's 2021 class. The Badgers beat out Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern and Ohio State in his recruitment.
"It does help to form the early connection and then coming back a lot," Mahlman told BadgerBlitz.com. "I got to know a lot of people at Wisconsin and just felt comfortable. It's so special because they can only take so many guys each year. The guys that they bring in and then send out to the NFL are top-notch guys, so it's just great to be a part of that tradition."
Career: Mahlman enrolled early and recently took part in spring camp. He is expected to be a reserve tackle for the Badgers this fall.
Recruitment: With his strong family connections to the University of Wisconsin, the question surrounding JP Benzschawel's recruitment was more "when" than "if" in relation to the Badgers' football program. That answer came in February of 2019 when the (then) sophomore offensive tackle from Grafton (WI) High School committed to UW.
Career: Benzschawel arrived on campus this summer and is set to take part in his first college camp this fall. There is a chance the Wisconsin legacy takes reps at both guard and tackle during his first year on campus.
Recruitment: Wisconsin's third five-star signee during the Rivals.com era, Nolan Rucci finished his high school career as the No. 28 prospect in the country. UW was the first school to offer the 6-foot-8 and 295 pound prospect in September of 2018. Exactly two years later, Rucci chose the Badgers over scholarships from Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Stanford, among many others.
From National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell:
"The high four-star is all of 6-foot-8 and he could still easily add at least 20 pounds to his frame, so he has not topped out physically. Rucci is a dominant run blocker, he’s light on his feet, and even at defensive end he makes plays and gets in the backfield. The Pennsylvania lineman is already ranked high, and he hasn't maxed out yet. Rucci was a tough one because he’s still kind of thin as a 300-pounder, but he’s more filled out than a guy like Mike McGlinchey."
Career: Rucci is set to take part in his first camp later this month. It will be interesting to see if he can make a run at the two-deep at one of the tackle spots.
