Wisconsin's 2010 recruiting class famously had the No. 87 recruiting ranking in the country, according to Rivals.com. Though that number was a bit ridiculous, this class certainly didn't finish as one of the best for head coach Bret Bielema. Nine of the 24 athletes in this cycle ended up transferring and four more had their careers cut short due to injuries.
There were too many misses in this group, both nationally and inside the state. In Wisconsin's defense, Joe Brennan, Frank Tamakloe and Sherard Cadogan were all considered big gets for the Badgers at the time of their respective commitments. Jake Irwin and Cameron Ontko both earned offers at camp and may have had nice careers at UW had it not been for off-the-field issues.
Continuing in our series: As Wisconsin fans count down the days before fall camp opens, we look back at the 2010 recruiting class and re-rank each player based on their careers at UW.
RELATED: Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2006 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2007 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2008 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2009 |
Another player the Badgers stole from Minnesota's backyard, Wisconsin offered Beau Allen early on after he camped at UW in the summer of 2008. The three-star prospect chose the Badgers over scholarships from Notre Dame, Michigan, Stanford and UCLA, among many others. At Wisconsin, Allen played as a true freshman and started his final 26 games as a Badger. As a senior, he played the all-important nose tackle position in Dave Aranda's 3-4 scheme and enjoyed a successful NFL career.
Rivals Re-Ranking: ****
Iowa, Miami, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Stanford and Vanderbilt were all options for Joseph Brennan coming out of high school, but the three-star prospect chose Wisconsin. After being listed as the backup to Russell Wilson, Brennan slid to No. 4 on the depth chart behind Joel Stave, Danny O'Brien and Curt Phillips in the fall of 2012. Brennan landed at Towson, where he did not see game action in 2012 or 2013 and was beat out by Connor Frazier in 2014.
Rivals Re-Ranking: **
Cody Byers, who was from the same high school as Chris Borland, committed to Wisconsin over offers from a handful of schools across the Midwest. After redshirting in 2010, Byers did not play the following season and then suffered multiple concussions in a span of about 15 months. Those injuries forced him to walk away from football in the summer of 2012. Byers continued on as a student and worked camps to promote concussion prevention.
Rivals Re-Ranking: **
Sherard Cadogan was a heavily-recruited prospect from the East Coast with offers from Stanford, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, South Carolina and West Virginia, among many others. But at Wisconsin, the New Jersey native never lived up to the hype. Cadogan began his Badgers career as a tight end, switched to fullback prior to 2012 season and made the transition to linebacker in the spring of 2013. He earned three letters with one start at UW.
Rivals Re-Ranking: **
The Badgers bumped up Kyle Costigan's offer to a full ride just before Signing Day after they initially landed the in-state prospect with a greyshirt opportunity. He began his career as a defensive tackle but moved to offensive guard in 2012. That move produced excellent results, as Costigan went on to start 35 games and earned first-team All-America (ESPN.com) and first-team All-Big Ten (consensus) honors as a senior. As a junior and senior, Costigan anchored offensive line that paved the way for two of the three best single-season rushing performances in school history - 283.8 yards per game in 2013 and a school-record 320.1 yards per game in 2014. Costigan worked in Wisconsin's strength and conditioning program through the 2022 season.
Rivals Re-Ranking: ****
Manasseh Garner was one of the most talked about recruits in the 2010 class after his commitment to the Badgers. But in the summer of 2012, Garner transferred back home to Pittsburgh to be closer to his son, Manasseh Jr. At Pitt, he was also reunited with Paul Chryst and assistant Joe Rudolph. Garner started 14 games for the Panthers in 2013 and 2014.
Rivals Re-Ranking: ***
Bryce Gilbert was a lightly-recruited in-state defensive lineman who recorded 20 tackles during his four years in Madison. He was the No. 2 nose guard in the spring of 2014 behind Warren Herring but elected to transfer to Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Division 2), along with Badgers' tight end Brock DeCicco.
Rivals Re-Ranking: **
At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, Chase Hammond had intriguing size coming out of high school and the Badgers offered after his senior season. At Wisconsin, Hammond battled ankle injuries and stepped away from the program in 2013. He finished his career with five receptions for 50 yards.
Rivals Re-Ranking: **
Josh Harrison committed to Wisconsin in the fall of 2009 over offers from Toledo and Ball State. His career as a Badger was rather uneventful, though he did play all five years in Madison. Harrison switched from linebacker to defensive end in the spring of 2012 before he moved to outside linebacker in UW's new 3-4 alignment. As a senior, Harrison recorded his first career sack against Bowling Green.
Rivals Re-Ranking: **
Rob Havenstein was a big-time recruit out of Maryland, but he likely exceeded even the loftiest of expectations at Wisconsin. The massive offensive tackle started 42 games in his career, including 41 straight at right tackle over his final three seasons. In 2014, Havenstein was named first-team All-America (AFCA), second-team All-America (FWAA, Sporting News, USA Today) and first-team All-Big Ten (consensus). He still plays in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams.
Rivals Re-Ranking: ****
