With Wisconsin sitting on eight commitments early in the 2019 class, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at what's left to accomplish in the junior cycle.
QUARTERBACK
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one quarterback in the 2019 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from four-star quarterback Graham Mertz.
Scholarships seniors: Zero
What's next?
Wisconsin's early homework paid off huge this past fall when the Badgers hit on four-star quarterback Graham Mertz, who, at the time, only had offers from Kansas and Minnesota.
Moving forward, the quarterback recruiting in 2019 revolves solely around Mertz, who has picked up offers from Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State and Georgia, among others, this winter. A recent visit to Wisconsin, though, has Wisconsin fans feeling confident about his current pledge.
RUNNING BACK
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take two tailbacks in the 2019 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from three-star tailback Julius Davis.
Scholarships seniors: Chris James, Taiwan Deal, Alec Ingold (fullback)
What's next?
Commit No. 4 for Wisconsin in the 2019 class, Julius Davis, who chose the Badgers over an offer from Buffalo and strong interest from Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Illinois, among others, will bring a physical presence to UW's backfield when he arrives on campus. The three-star prospect has also been hot this winter with scholarships from Notre Dame, LSU and USC.
Wisconsin's top target to pair with James is likely Patrick Garwo, a four-star junior from Pennsylvania. The 5-foot-9, 197-pound prospect also has offers from Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Rutgers, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, among others. Also keep an eye on Steele Chambers, a three-star prospect from Georgia who is scheduled to visit March 4-5.
Outside of Davis, Garwo and Steele, Joachim Bangda, Zach Charbonnet, Nayquan Wright, Derrian Brown, Kenny McIntosh and Devyn Ford also have known scholarships from the Badgers.
In this cycle, it also wouldn't be shocking to see Wisconsin target a scholarship fullback. Should the staff go that route, in-state athlete Andrew Stone is an intriguing option.
WIDE RECEIVERS
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one - possibly two - wide receivers in the 2019 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from three-star wide receiver Nolan Groulx.
Scholarships seniors: None
What's next?
There's a long way to go, but Nolan Groulx could very well be the lone wide out in the 2019 class. UW signed four projected receivers in 2018.
"Coach (Ted) Gilmore was talking about just taking one receiver, so thankfully that’s me," Groulx told BadgerBlitz.com. "Another spot could open up, but as of right now he was talking about it just being me."
Should something open up, pairing Groulx with a taller, more vertical threat, makes sense. If that's the path the staff chooses to follow, Craig Young may be the top option moving forward. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound prospect visited UW this fall. The Badgers are also in a very good position with four-star wide out Cameron Phillips. At 6-foot-1 and 183 pounds, he's more similar to Groulx but is probably someone the staff would seriously considering if he tried to commit.
TIGHT END
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take two tight ends in the 2019 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from four-star tight end Hayden Rucci.
Scholarships seniors: Zander Neuville
What's next?
Wisconsin hit on arguably its top tight end target in the 2019 class last month when Hayden Rucci committed to the Badgers. The No. 1 junior in Pennsylvania chose UW over scholarships from Pittsburgh, Northwestern, Duke, Michigan State and Minnesota, among many others.
Hudson Henry (visited in January), Keon Zipperer, Chris Hickman and Garmon Randolph are the only other uncommitted tight ends Wisconsin has offered in this cycle.
OFFENSIVE LINE
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take four offensive linemen in the 2019 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have commitments from four-star Logan Brown and three-star Joe Tippmann.
Scholarships seniors: Micah Kapoi, Beau Benzschawel, Michael Deiter, Brett Connors
What's next?
Plugging Logan Brown at one of the tackle spots to go along with a swing player like Joe Tippmann is big for the staff this early in the process. Both are "Tier 1" prospects in the eyes of the coaching staff. Joe Rudolph would love to add blue-chip prospects Trevor Keegan, John Olmstead (has UW in his top 3), Andrew Kristofic, Quinn Carroll (visited this past weekend) or Bryce Benhart to the tackle position. All five have already visited Madison, though Keegan and Benhart seem like the most realistic options at this point.
"The Badgers are very high on the list," Benhart's father, Gene, told BadgerBlitz.com. "We are impressed with everything top to bottom. He is a fit for what they are looking for in both a person and a player."
On the interior, Zeke Correll and Jackson Lampley are top priorities, with Ben Hoitink, Tyler Cooper and Jake Hornibrook, among others, on UW's radar. This class of linemen has a chance to be special come Signing Day.
DEFENSIVE LINE
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take three defensive linemen in the 2019 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers do not have a commitment from a projected defensive linemen in the 2019 class.
Scholarships seniors: Olive Sagapolu
What's next?
Recruiting on the defensive line probably has the most questions marks early in the process. A handful of interior prospects already have offers, a list that includes Mazi Smith, Siaki Ika, Tru Thompson, Joshua Harris, Faatui Tuitele, Jaden McKenzie, Antonio Alfano, Lloyd Murray, Simote Pepa and Jowon Briggs. Four-star Rodas Johnson is also an option, as is in-state standout Austin Ertl, who could earn his offer at camp this summer.
After it signed five prospects from Michigan on Dec. 2o, Wisconsin hopes to ride that momentum in 2019 in its pursuit of Michael Fletcher, a junior defensive end from Carman Ainsworth High School. The 6-foot-5, 233-pound prospect picked up an offer from the Badgers during an unofficial visit this fall and currently has UW in his top group.
Four-star Noah Potter is expected to visit later this month while fellow Ohio native Cade Stover has also spoken highly of the Badgers. Both, though, are top priorities fo the Buckeyes, as well. In-staters Jake Raddatz and Jake Karchinski could earn offers at camp this summer.
LINEBACKERS
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take three linebackers in the 2019 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from three-star linebacker Leo Chenal.
Scholarships seniors: Ryan Connelly, TJ Edwards, Andrew Van Ginkel, Arrington Farrar
What's next?
Wisconsin has been selective with offers at linebacker in the 2019 class. Outside of Leo Chenal, the staff has extended known scholarships to Kyi Wright, Nick Henrich, Jackson Hannah, Shammond Cooper, Aeneas DiCosmo, Kane Patterson, Shane Lee, Lance Dixon, Owen Pappoe and Ge'mon Eaford. From that group, Lee, a four-star prospect, visited this summer; Henrich did the same in November.
When new offers go out, there are a handful of intriguing prospects from inside the state. Waunakee's Reed Ryan, Pulaski's Dylan Hendricks and Southern Door's Derik LeCaptain have already visited UW a handful of times, with Logan Eiden (Neenah), Thomas Brunner (Whitefish Bay) and Jeremiah Jordan (Madison Memorial) all garnering early Division 1 interest as well.
Nationally, Jack Campbell, Blake Antzoulatos and Richie Hagarty all took part in camp last summer.
SAFETIES
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take two safeties in the 2019 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from three-star safety Bryson Shaw.
Scholarships seniors: D'Cota Dixon, Evan Bondoc
What's next?
After signing just Reggie Pearson in the 2018 class, Wisconsin will almost certainly look to take two safeties in the junior cycle. With Shaw penciled in at one spot, the attention now likely turns to Texas standout Ty DeArman, who has already visited Madison once. Outside of DeArman, the Badgers are also heavily involved with four-star prospects Litchfield Ajavon (has UW in his top 7) and Moses Douglass, though the competition is stiff for both.
CORNERBACKS
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one - possibly two - cornerbacks in the 2019 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers do not have a commitment from a projected cornerback in the 2019 class.
Scholarships seniors: None
What's next?
Two may actually be an ambitious number after UW added Rachad Wildgoose on Singing Day to bring the total number of scholarship corners in 2018 to four.
Wynston Russell, a three-star prospect from Homewood Flossmoor High School in Illinois, is likely Wisconsin's most realistic target at cornerback in the 2019 class. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound junior picked up an offer from the Badgers during an unofficial visit in October. Russell is from the same high school as redshirt freshman wide receiver Kendric Pryor.
Outside of Winston, newly-minted four-star Semar Melvin is also high on the Badgers. The standout from Florida picked up an offer from UW this winter.
ATHLETES
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one athlete in the 2019 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers do not have a commitment from a projected athlete in the 2019 class.
Scholarships seniors: None
What's next?
In-state standout Da'Shaun Brown is the prospect to watch here. At 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Brown, a high school quarterback, could play on either side of the ball at the next level. He also has offers from Iowa, Iowa State and Western Michigan.
SPECIALISTS
How many will they take? Wisconsin could take one scholarship kicker in the 2019 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers do not have a commitment from a projected specialist in the 2019 class.
Scholarships seniors: Rafael Gaglianone, P.J. Rosowski
What's next?
It wouldn't be shocking to see Wisconsin use a scholarship on a kicker in the 2019 class. If so, that offer will likely surface this summer during camp in June.
