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State of the 2017 class: December

With Wisconsin sitting on 15 scholarship commitments and five preferred walk-ons in the 2017 class, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at what's left to accomplish in the current cycle.

PROJECTED SCHOLARSHIP DISTRIBUTION | DEPTH CHART |

QUARTERBACK

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How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take two quarterbacks in the 2017 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from four-star Jack Coan, as well as preferred walk-on Danny Vanden Boom, who is expected to go on scholarship early in his career art UW.

Scholarships seniors: Bart Houston

Top target(s) in 2018: Jack Tuttle, Artur Sitkowski, Ben Bryant and Chase Wolf

What's next? With Jack Coan set to arrive this spring and Danny Vanden Boom this summer, Wisconsin is done at the quarterback position in the 2017 class. Three-star junior Ben Bryant, who visited for the three home games, could be close to committing in the 2018 cycle.

RUNNING BACK

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one scholarship running back in the 2017 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from three-star Jonathan Taylor, as well as in-state preferred walk-on Hunter Johnson.

Scholarships seniors: Corey Clement, Dare Ogunbowale

Top 2018 target(s): Justus Woods, Christian Turner

What's next? After flipping Jonathan Taylor from Rutgers, Wisconsin is done at the tailback position in 2017. And don't forget about preferred walk-on Hunter Johnson, who has rushed for over 2,000 yards with 40 touchdowns this fall.

WIDE RECEIVERS

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take three, possibly four, wide receivers in the 2017 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers already have commitments from Texas wide outs Cade Green and Emmet Perry, as well as Deron Harrell, a greyshirt signee from last February.

Preferred walk-on target: Henry Marchese, Michael Marchese

Scholarships seniors: Rob Wheelwright, Reggie Love

Top 2018 target(s): Julian Major, Julian Major, Kamryn Babb, among others

What's next? After picking up a commitment from Emmet Perry, a lightly-recruited senior from powerhouse DeSoto High School, there's a chance the Badgers still have room for four-star Danny Davis.

“I am definitely taking (official visits) to Oregon, Wisconsin and West Virginia, but I’ll make some more,” Davis told Rivals.com. “West Virginia will be after the season, but Wisconsin will be during the season. I talked to Coach Joe Rudolph and we set that up. I think it is the 26th (of November).”

The staff is also in talks with Purdue commit C.J. Hayes, as well as Kansas senior Harry Van Dyne, among others.

TIGHT END

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one tight end in the 2017 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers already have a commitment from three-star tight end Jake Ferguson.

Preferred walk-on target: Caiden Haake, Austin Goehring

Scholarships seniors: Eric Steffes

Top 2018 target(s): Trenton Gillison, Mustapha Muhammad, George Takacs and Jeremy Ruckert

What's next? Wisconsin has been done at tight end for some time with an early commitment from in-state tight end Jake Ferguson.

OFFENSIVE LINE

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take four offensive linemen in the 2017 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers already have commitments from Kayden Lyles, Logan Bruss, Alex Fenton and Tyler Beach.

Preferred walk-on target: Josh Seltzner

Scholarships seniors: None (Junior left tackle Ryan Ramczyk could leave early for the NFL)

Top 2018 target(s): Jackson Carman, Justin Johnson

What's next? Wisconsin has been done recruiting on the offensive line since this summer with commitments from four in-state prospects.

DEFENSIVE LINE

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one defensive lineman in the 2017 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers already have a commitment from three-star defensive end Aaron Vopal. Additionally, in-state tackle Matt Henningsen accepted a preferred walk-on offer from UW.

Preferred walk-on target: Michael Balistreri, Dylan Boles

Scholarships seniors: None

Top 2018 target(s): Taron Vincent, Aidan Hutchinson, Verdis Brown, Ollie Lane, Malik Vann and Devin O'Rourke

What's next? Though Wisconsin is thin at defensive tackle, the staff will likely address that position heavily in 2018. Aaron Vopal is expected to be the lone scholarship defensive lineman in this class, with preferred walk-on Matt Henningsen set to begin at nose tackle.

LINEBACKERS

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take two linebackers in the 2017 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from projected outside linebackers Izayah Green-May and Andrew Van Ginkel, a junior college prospect who will have two years of eligibility remaining when he arrives on campus in January. Preferred walk-on Jake Collinsworth, an inside linebacker who could also work at fullback, is also in the mix.

Preferred walk-on target: Noah Harvey

Scholarships seniors: Vince Biegel (Junior outside linebacker T.J. Watt could also leave early for the NFL)

Top 2018 target(s): Reggie Jennings, Andrew Chatfield, DeAndre Square, CJ Goetz, Jack Sanburn and Jack Sirmon, among others

What's next? With Izayah Green-May and Andrew Van Ginkel set on the outside, Wisconsin is likely done at the position. The staff received an official visit from James Houston, though he appears set on signing with Florida in February.

SAFETIES

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one safety in the 2017 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers do not have a commitment from a projected safety.

Preferred walk-on target: Joe Duty

Scholarships seniors: Leo Musso

Top 2018 target(s): Reggie Pearson (committed), Trent Ingalls (committed), Kalon Gervin and Dallas Craddieth

What's next? Three-star safety Scott Nelson is one of Wisconsin's top remaining targets in this class. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior recently took his officials to UW and Iowa with a decision expected soon.

"The coaches told me how they think I'm a perfect fit at Wisconsin overall, and not just for football," Nelson told BadgerBlitz.com. "They said how highly they think of me and how much of an impact they think I can have if I were to go there.

“Maybe one more visit (Penn State), but I'm not exactly sure if it's possible as of right now. Now it's just thinking and trying to come to a decision.”

CORNERBACKS

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take two, possibly three, cornerbacks in the 2017 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers already have a commitments from three-star prospects Madison Cone and Faion Hicks.

Scholarships seniors: Sojourn Shelton, Serge Trezy

Top 2018 target(s): Marquis Williams, Montrae Braswell, Gurvan Hall, Dequan Walker and Keondrae Miller, among others

What's next? Wisconsin is looking to pair Madison Cone and Faion Hicks with three-star Christian Cumber, who has already visited officially. UW, Michigan State and Colorado State are out in front for Cumber.

"Michigan State is my only other official visit scheduled so far," Cumber told BadgerBlitz.com. "I'm not sure if I'll use all five, but hopefully I can make a decision towards the end of the football season for me. I'm really focused on my high school season and making a run at state. I'm focused on my team right now.

"Wisconsin and Michigan State are definitely the front runners right now, along with Colorado State."

SPECIAL TEAMS

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one scholarship long snapper in the 2017 class

Who do they already have? The Badgers already have a commitments from long snapper Adam Bay, as well as preferred walk-on place kicker Collin Larsh.

Preferred walk-on target: Kasey Kelleher

Scholarships seniors: Conor Udelhoven (LS)

What's next? Wisconsin is done recruiting scholarship specialists in the 2017 class.

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