The Class of 2013 was certainly an interesting one for the Wisconsin Badgers. Many of the players were recruited by, and committed to, Bret Bielema and his staff. But when he left to take the Arkansas job in December of 2012, Gary Andersen was tasked with not only hanging onto the current commits, but putting the finishing touches on this cycle.

"Bielema's departure has a chance to devastate Wisconsin's recruiting in the short term because it was so sudden, so unexpected," Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt said at the time. "The Wisconsin commits I have spoken with since the news came out are just in shock. I expect a larger number of de-commitments than we see in an average coaching change."

Andersen hung on to a big chunk of this group and added a few more key pieces down the stretch. The in-state class proved to be strong, with T.J. Watt, Chikwe Obasih, Alec James, Jazz Peavy and Austin Ramesh all developing into big contributors during their time in Madison. Jack Cichy, Troy Fumagalli and Joe Ferguson were also great gets as preferred walk-ons. Fans only got a small taster of the JUCO flavor in this class before Andersen ramped things up the following year.

"We're never going to wholesale junior college kids. We're never going to sign 12 junior college players," Andersen said during his signing day press conference. "There's a chip on their shoulder because they didn't receive an opportunity, for whatever reason, to be in a Division 1 program. I like that chip on kids' shoulders.

"If you go back into the history of the University of Wisconsin, that's how this program was built. Tough kids, that have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, that have a little bit of 'I told you so' or 'I'm going to show you' as they go through their career. They tend to blossom when they get into this environment."

RELATED: Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2006 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2007 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2008 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2009 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2010 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2011 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2012 |

The younger brother of Class of 2012 signee Vince Biegel, offensive lineman Hayden Biegel originally committed to the Badgers as a greyshirt. But the three-star prospect put on a good deal of weight and the new coaching staff switched him over to a full scholarship. Biegel accepted Wisconsin's offer over scholarships from Iowa, Illinois and Michigan State. At UW, Biegel redshirted in 2013 and played in six games the following year. He started the first four games in 2015 before concussions ended his playing career prematurely.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

At the time, Keelon Brookins was the only four-star cornerback Wisconsin signed since 2004. The Minnesota native decommitted from the Gophers in favor of the Badgers in the fall of 2012. During his high school career, Brookins suffered two significant knee injuries that likely impacted his career in Madison. He began working at safety when he arrived on campus before Andersen moved Brookins to middle linebacker. In 2016, Brookins transitioned back to safety and transferred to Northern Iowa ahead of the 2017 season. He recorded 33 tackles with six tackles for loss, four sacks and a pair of interceptions to earn MVFC All-Newcomer Team honors.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

A one-time Pittsburgh pledge,Corey Clement flipped to Wisconsin in November of 2012. During his recruitment, the four-star prospect also racked up offers from Nebraska, Notre Dame, Florida State and Ohio State, among others. At Wisconsin, Clement, who once held the South Jersey single-season rushing record (2,510), ran for 3,092 and 36 career touchdowns. The former four-star prospect went undrafted in 2017 but played in the NFL with the Eagles, Giants, Cowboys, Ravens and Cardinals.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ****

Wisconsin jumped on Garret Dooley early in the process with an offer at its junior day in 2012. Just a few days later, the three-star prospect committed to UW over scholarships from Indiana, Illinois and Vanderbilt, among others. Wisconsin had to fend off late pushes from Penn State and Vanderbilt to hold onto Dooley's commitment later in the process. After moving positions a few times, Dooley found a home at outside linebacker and had a great final season at Wisconsin.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

Matt Hubley ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash at Wisconsin's summer camp in 2012, a performance that earned him a preferred walk-on offer. And just before Catholic Memorial's state run that fall, Bielema came in with a full scholarship. For the Badgers, Hubley was only on the roster for one season before he went on a medical scholarship.

al scholarship.

Rivals Re-Ranking: Incomplete

Leon Jacobs was a late find in the 2013 recruiting class. The Badgers flew the California native to Wisconsin in the middle of winter and locked up his commitment in late January of 2013. While he bounced around between several positions during his UW career - inside and outside linebacker, in addition to fullback - Jacobs looked at home on the edge for the Badgers as a senior. He had 60 total tackles (including 9.5 for loss) during his final season and was drafted in by Jacksonville in the 7th round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

Alec James, who also had offers from Clemson, Michigan State, Oregon and Notre Dame, ended up picking the Badgers and honoring his commitment even after Bielema left for Arkansas. James looked around at a few different schools near the end of his recruitment but elected to stay in Wisconsin after meeting with Andersen and coordinator Dave Aranda. At UW, James played in 53 games with 26 starts. He recorded 100 total tackles,15.0 TFLs and 11.0 sacks during his career.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

Jack Keeler was a big-time get for Wisconsin in the 2013. He chose the Badgers over offers form Illinois, Miami, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, among many others, and UW held off a late push from Ohio State for Keeler's services. His career at Wisconsin, however, lasted just one season due to injuries.

Rivals Re-Ranking: Incomplete

Junior college quarterback Tanner McEvoy, who chose Wisconsin over Florida, Oregon and West Virginia, among others, was supposed to be the quarterback of the future for Andersen and UW's offense. In five starts under center in 2014, McEvoy completed just 57.2 percent of his passes for 629 yard and ultimately ceded the full-time job to Joel Stave midway through UW's 20-14 loss to Northwestern on Oct. 4. He moved to wide receiver and then safety - positions he excelled at - and played in 38 career games with 21 starts.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

Matt Miller was another offensive lineman in this class whose career was cut short due to injuries. During his recruitment, the three-star prospect chose the Badgers over offers from Boston College, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan State and Purdue, among others.

Rivals Re-Ranking: Incomplete

Brookfield Central's Chikwe Obasih had double-digit offers coming out of high school, but Wisconsin's top competition was likely Iowa, the school his father attended as a graduate student. The former four-star prospect stayed committed to UW despite the head coaching change in 2012 and was a multi-year starter at defensive end for Wisconsin. In four seasons, Obasih played in 49 games with 31 starts. He racked up 95 total tackles, including 9.0 TFLs and 4.0 sacks.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

Things really got started for Jazz Peavy in April of 2012 when he went down to Lake Barrington in Illinois and posted the top SPARQ rating (122.52) out of the 950 participants in attendance. That sparked (no pun intended) interest from Wisconsin and Minnesota, and Peavy committed to the Badgers in June of 2012. At UW, Peavy played in 34 games with 17 starts. He, however, only participated in five contests during his final season. "He’s working through his ankle injury and also is going to take some time away to work through some personal things,” head coach Paul Chryst said at the time.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

Austin Ramesh, who put up monster numbers as a running back at Northland Pines High School during his prep career, actually committed to Bielema as a greyshirt early on. But the three-star prospect was asked to enroll with the rest of the 2013 class after Donnell Vercher's scholarship was vacated. He was listed as a linebacker but found a nice home at fullback for the Badgers. He played in 40 games with 18 starts and had five rushing touchdowns during his time at UW.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

TJ Reynard, who spent the 2012 season at Independence Community College in Kansas, chose Wisconsin over offers from Colorado, Georgia Southern and Kentucky. At UW, Reynard played a backup role in the defensive secondary for two seasons.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

During his recruitment, Sojourn Shelton, a one-time Florida State commit, developed a strong relationship with then-assistant coach Ben Strickland. That bond was crucial in holding onto Shelton's commitment during the transition from Bielema to Andersen in December of 2012. Tennessee, South Carolina, West Virginia, Nebraska and Mississippi all offered scholarships in hopes of flipping Shelton late in the process.

At Wisconsin, Shelton, who enrolled early, developed into one of the best cornerbacks to play in Madison. A four-year starter (51 total starts), Shelton finished his career with nine interceptions and 129 total tackles.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ****

We didn't know it at the time, but Donnell Vercher's situation foreshadowed Andersen's recruiting philosophy and approach. Targeted to fill an immediate need at safety, a transcript issue from Fresno (CA) City College prevented Vercher from enrolling at Wisconsin. He signed with Fresno State and then transferred to Minot State, where he was suspended in 2015 due to an off-the-field incident.

Rivals Re-Ranking: Incomplete

A quarterback as a senior in high school, T.J. Watt was recruited as a tight end by the Badgers. With his two older brothers - J.J. Watt and Derek Watt - having played at Wisconsin, there was never much drama in T.J.'s recruitment, though he did have scholarship offers from Minnesota and Northern Illinois.

Watt began his career as an H-back in 2013 before he moved to outside linebacker in the summer of 2015. That move proved to be highly effective, as the former three-star prospect became one of the top players in the nation at his position in 2016. The redshirt junior finished with a team-high 11.5 sacks, was third in tackles (63) and led UW in tackles for loss (15.5). Watt was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Rivals Re-Ranking: *****

Jakarrie Washington ran a sub-4.5 second 40-yard dash at UMass' one-day camp, a characteristic Andersen coveted on the recruiting front. With that, the two-star prospect became the first commit during Andersen’s tenure in late January of 2013. At UW, Washington appeared in 11 games and recorded 10 tackles as a true freshman but was dismissed from the program in December of 2013.

.Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Wisconsin was offer No. 1 for Rob Wheelwright, who turned heads at the Badgers' summer camp in 2011. Roughly a year later during UW's spring game, the three-star prospect committed to UW over offers from Michigan, Nebraska, Pittsburgh and Illinois, among others. Wheelwright was supposed to be the big-time wide out the Badgers always came up short for, but injuries limited his progress during his time in Madison. He played in 47 games with 18 starts at wide receiver.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Top recruit: Watt, who is now re-ranked as a five-star prospect.

Best surprise: Former walk-on Jack Cichy started just 11 games at Wisconsin due to injuries, but he still racked up 120 tackles and 6.5 sacks for the Badgers. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Biggest bust: There were very few busts in this class. But if someone has to fill this space, it's probably Keelon Brookins, who was the highest-rated corner Wisconsin had ever signed at that time. Injuries, unfortunately, were a big part of both his high school and collegiate career.

Wanted to see more from: From this topic, I'll substitute "more" for "something." Keeler and Miller obviously fit the bill, but I'll go with Hubley, a projected starter at safety before he was forced to step away from football.

Top walk-ons: Troy Fumagalli, Jack Cichy, Joe Ferguson

Rivals.com class recruiting rank: No. 57

States represented (11): Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Kansas, Florida, Illinois, California, Arizona and Iowa.

Decommitted: Tiqeuntion Coleman (Arkansas), Scott Orndoff (Pittsburgh), Marcus Ball (Arizona State), Darius Latham (Indiana) and Tyler Foreman(UCLA).

Transferred: Keelon Brookins (Northern Iowa), Jakarrie Washington (UMass-Dartmouth).

*Donnell Vercher (academics) never enrolled at Wisconsin

NFL Draft Picks: Watt, Fumagalli, Cichy, Jacobs

First-Team All-Americans: Watt

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