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 high-end talent?
Today, we examine how Wisconsin has done with edge prospects over the last 20 years.
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Recruitment: Ohio State, Florida State, Miami, Oklahoma and Tennessee, among many others, all offered Travis Beckum coming out of high school. But in the end, Wisconsin was able to keep the in-state standout and All-American Bowl participant close to home.
“I can stay close to home to have my mother come see me play," Beckum told BadgerBlitz.com. “Coach (Brian) Murphy did a great job of recruiting me. I liked Oklahoma and Tennessee, too. It wasn’t easy at all.”
Career: After one year at outside linebacker, Beckum switched to tight end and became one of the top players to play the position for the Badgers. He caught 61 passes for 903 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore, and improved those numbers to 75, 982 and six as a junior. Beckum broke his leg as a senior but was still drafted in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.
Recruitment: The No. 1 player in the state, Rivals250 member and All-American Bowl participant, Jake Keefer picked Wisconsin over offers from Indiana, Minnesota and Washington State coming out of high school.
"There were some others that were showing interest, like LSU," Keefer told Rivals.com. "I was getting letters from USC and UCLA. Those are some pretty big schools, but I just felt at home at Wisconsin. I wanted to play for my home state and support Wisconsin."
Career: Keefer redshirted in 2011, recorded one tackle the following year and suffered a season-ending knee injury during fall camp of 2013. During that time, he also transitioned to the defensive line and was in the rotation during his final two seasons at UW. Arriving on campus at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, it would have been interesting to see how Keefer would have fit in a 3-4 defense at outside linebacker from the very start.
Recruitment: Wisconsin went into South Florida in the 2009 class and landed David Gilbert, a Rivals250 prospect from Northeast High School. The in-state Gators showed late interest but did not end up offering, a move that triggered his commitment to the Badgers.
"It's down to Wisconsin and Florida," Gilbert told Rivals.com prior to his commitment. "I'm in the process of setting up a visit with Wisconsin. I'm actually going to the Florida game this weekend. I think they might be close to offering me."
Career: At UW, Gilbert, who enrolled early, played as a true freshman but fought nagging injuries throughout his career. After walking away from the Badgers in the summer of 2013, he used his graduate transfer option to play his final year of eligibility at Miami.
Recruitment: An Iowa native, Andrew Van Ginkel played his first two years at South Dakota before he entered the junior college ranks. The Badgers topped Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas State, Pittsburgh and West Virginia for his services out of Iowa Western Community College.
Career: Van Ginkel found a home at outside linebacker and contributed immediately for the Badgers. He played in 27 total games with 10 starts, and racked up 99 tackles, including 19.5 TFLs and 12 sacks. Van Ginkel was drafted by the Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Recruitment: Kaden Johnson, the No. 1 player in the state of Minnesota, picked Wisconsin over a top list that also included LSU, Minnesota, Nebraska and Oregon State. The Rivals250 member announced his commitment to the Badgers during the early signing period in 2019.
"What really stood out for Wisconsin was I felt at home," Johnson told BadgerBlitz.com. "The coaches made me feel like I was one of their own, like they would take good care of me. It was just a family feel. My family is very important to me. When I got that from Wisconsin, I knew it was the right fit. To make sure, I took my other visits to other schools to see something different, but Wisconsin was just a family. It’s amazing, and the academics are second to none. I’m happy to be able to get my education there and move past football. The goal is to make the NFL, but I want to have that degree. Football can’t go on forever."
Career: Johnson played in three of Wisconsin's seven games in 2020. He is expected to be a reserve outside linebacker again this fall.
Recruitment: A top priority for the Badgers from the very start, T.J. Bollers camped with the Badgers in June of 2019, visited twice that fall and returned to Madison on March 1 (2020) for a junior day. The four-star prospect chose Wisconsin over offers from Alabama, Penn State, Michigan, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Washington, among others.
"The academics were a big deal and I did a lot of research on that," Bollers told BadgerBlitz.com. "Last time I checked, Wisconsin's engineering program was top 15 in the country, and there are football players who are actually able to do that and play at a high level. I was able to talk with guys who have either done it or are currently doing it right now, so it's not just lip service at Wisconsin. The academic and athletic combination was huge."
Career: Bollers, who enrolled early and took part in spring camp, is expected to give Wisconsin some versatility on the edge over the next few years.
"T.J. Bollers is a kid that we love his versatility," coordinator Jim Leonhard told reporters via Zoom on Dec. 16. "We see him as an outside linebacker, kind of plus. We think he can do a little bit more than that position and provide some flexibility for us. Great physicality with what he has shown in high school, and as he grows into his body, it's gonna be a lot of fun to to put him in different positions."
Recruitment: Like Bollers, Wisconsin identified Darryl Peterson very early in the process and landed his commitment in the summer of 2020. The projected outside linebacker chose the Badgers over Alabama, Michigan, West Virginia, Northwestern, Maryland and Michigan State, among others.
"I told the coaches yesterday on a Zoom meeting," Peterson told BadgerBlitz.com. "I almost shed a tear when I heard the stuff they were saying about me and how I fit at Wisconsin. It was me, Coach (Joe) Rudolph, Coach (Bobby) April and Coach (Paul) Chryst, and you could feel how happy they were even though we were on Zoom."
Career: Peterson is preparing for his first camp at Wisconsin later this month.
