The Class of 2015, which started with Gary Andersen but finished with Paul Chryst, was one of the most entertaining to follow in recent memory. The difference in philosophies, both in Xs and Os and on the recruiting front, created an interesting last few weeks before Signing Day.

Chryst made it clear that recruiting the state of Wisconsin was going to be a high priority for his staff moving forward.

"It's really important," Chryst said. "I think there are certain formulas or pillars of this program that I think are true. We want to be the best team we can be here at Wisconsin. For us to be the best team we need to have the best players in Wisconsin coming here."

Continuing our series: As Wisconsin fans count down the days before the start of fall camp, we look back at the 2015 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 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2010 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2011 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2012 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2013 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2014 |

Credit Andersen and his staff for their evaluation of Zach Baun, whose only other offer at the time of his commitment was from South Dakota State. Chryst bumped his greyshirt up to a full ride right before Signing Day. As a senior, Baun was a first-team All-American selection by the FWAA and Walter Camp. He was also a second-team selection by the AFCA, AP and Sporting News. As a senior, Baun, who was selected 74th overall by the Saints in the 2020 NFL Draft, led UW in sacks (12.5) and tackles for loss (19.5).

Rivals Re-Ranking: ****

Titus Booker jumped out at Wisconsin's camp, but grades were rumored to be an issue at the time. That, however, was seemingly corrected, as Andersen flipped his commitment from Indiana to Wisconsin. The three-star prospect made things interesting until the very end, taking official visits to both Kentucky and Iowa before signing with the Badgers. At Wisconsin, Booker earned his first letter in 2016 but left the program the following year.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Jon Dietzen, the No. 1 in-state prospect in the 2015 class, committed to Wisconsin over offers from Illinois, Iowa State, Miami (FL), Michigan State and Nebraska, among others. Dietzen played in 42 games with 39 starts. He retired from football following the 2018 season due to injuries before he returned for the 2020 season.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ****

An in-line complement to Kyle Penniston in the 2015 class, David Edwards, a former high school quarterback, chose Wisconsin over Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Syracuse and Vanderbilt, among others. There was always a belief, however, that the standout from Illinois would grow into an offensive tackle in college. He did just that after a redshirt season and started 31 total games at right tackle. Edwards elected to forgo his senior season and was drafted in the Round 5 of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Las Angeles Rams.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ****

Looking back, listing Kevin Estes at 6-foot-6 and 273 pounds in high school was awfully generous. Because after two years in Wisconsin's strength program, he lost an inch and only weighed 263 pounds. Estes was a good example of Andersen's Pac-12(ish) approach - long, lean, athletic prospects - to offensive line recruiting. And though Chryst made an effort to hang on to Estes' commitment, he wasn't able to transform his body into a Big Ten offensive lineman.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

A one-time Stanford commit, Arrington Farrar, who was recruited by former Wisconsin assistant coach Thomas Brown, chose the Badgers over Notre Dame, North Carolina and Penn State on Signing Day in 2015. In three seasons at UW, Farrar moved from safety to inside linebacker to outside linebacker and never truly found a home on defense. He left the program prior to the start of the 2018 season.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Alex Hornibrook's career in Madison ended on a sour note, but Wisconsin would have been in some trouble had Chryst not brought the three-star prospect with him from Pittsburgh's commit list. Hornibrook was on his official visit to Pitt when he found out that Chryst was going to be Wisconsin's next head coach.

"It was about a week after when he told me he wanted me to come up [to Wisconsin] with him," Hornibrook said. "I followed coach Chryst because I like his offense, I like his style and everything like that. But at the same time, this school here is perfect for me. It's definitely not just committing to a coach."

At Wisconsin, Hornibrook played in 35 games with 32 starts. He went 26-6 (.813) as a starter, the best winning percentage by a quarterback in school history, including a 20-4 record in Big Ten games. In late February of 2019, Hornibrook announced he was leaving Wisconsin football's program. He eventually landed at Florida State.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

The second Pittsburgh commit Chryst lured over to Wisconsin, Kraig Howe seemed like a nice fit at defensive end for the Badgers. Having his future position coach, Inoke Breckterfield, coming with Howe made the flip that much easier. Looking back, Howe never did much at UW. He played in just one game from 2015 to 2018.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Alec Ingold was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year after he rushed for 2,324 yards and 29 touchdowns at Bay Port High School. The two-star prospect was committed to Northern Illinois before Chryst knocked at his door. It was actually the second time Chryst sought out Ingold, who was offered by the coaching staff at Pitt before Chryst's transition to Wisconsin. Originally pegged to play linebacker, Ingold, who was also an excellent prep wrestler, found a fit at fullback. He played in 51 games with 11 starts and is currently on the Miami Dolphins roster.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

There's a lot that could be written in regards to Austin Kafentzis' recruitment. The recording-setting quarterback was Andersen's top priority from Day 1, and the Badgers landed Kafentzis' services very early in the process (June 2013). Even after Andersen bolted, Kafentzis reaffirmed his commitment to Chryst. That move, purely because of Wisconsin's transition back to pro-style offense, never made much sense. But a lot of credit needs to be thrown Kafentzis' way, because he played a big role in keeping this class together the best he could. He went from Wisconsin to Nevada to Arizona Western and finished his career at BYU.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Speed, speed, speed. Andrew James wasn't a household name on the recruiting front early in the 2015 cycle, but things moved quickly after Wisconsin offered. The three-star prospect, who was close with 2014 signee George Rushing, was also expected to run track at UW, but he never did much in either sport at the college level.

Rivals Re-Ranking: Incomplete

When Wisconsin snagged David Moorman from Northville High School, it was an important get for the Badgers in Michigan, even though he didn't have an offer from the Wolverines or Spartans. This didn't open the floodgates, but it at least got the recruiting momentum rolling just bit inside the state. During the coaching change, Penn State tried to flip Moorman, but he still signed with the Badgers. At Wisconsin, Moorman played in 55 games career games over five seasons.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Nevada and North Texas were the only other offers at the time of Chris Orr's commitment to Wisconsin. That proved to be a mistake for schools in the state of Texas and the surrounding area, as Orr went on to have an excellent career at UW. Orr played in 50 games with 30 starts at inside linebacker. He recorded 11.5 sacks as a senior in 2019, the most in a season by an inside/middle linebacker in school history.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ****

Kyle Penniston seemed like a perfect fit for Wisconsin, especially with Andersen overseeing the program. The four-star tight end was from a powerhouse high school in California, a territory Andersen and his staff frequented, and he had ties to the Midwest. An Under Armour All-American, Penniston made an early commitment to Wisconsin in February of 2014. At the time, he also had scholarships from Florida State, Miami and Washington State.

Penniston enrolled early at Wisconsin and played 39 games with 21 starts at tight end. He elected to transfer at the end of the 2018 and landed at Rutgers.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

David Pfaff had a nice list of offers and was productive at the high school level. But at 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds, he didn't seem like a great fit at on the defensive line in a 3-4 scheme. Andersen offered and earned his commitment, and Chryst retained his verbal when he took over. Pfaff was a reserve for the Badgers during his five years in Madison.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Olive Sagapolu emerged on Wisconsin's radar after his performance at the All-Poly Camp - a very important event during Andersen's short time at UW - where Chad Kaua'aha'a annually had a front-row seat. Sagapolu was a solid get as a true nose tackle in a UW's 3-4 defense. As a Badger, the three-star prospect played in 44 games with 26 starts.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

A 6-foot-2, 210-pound prospect from powerhouse Hoover High School in Alabama, Bradrick Shaw chose UW over offers from Minnesota, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Nebraska, Mississippi and N.C. State just days before Signing Day in 2015. He was part of a class that, at one time, also included tailbacks Davon Crookshank and Jordan Stevenson, though neither ever made it to Madison.

At Wisconsin, Shaw rushed for a combined 822 total yards and eight touchdowns in 2016 and 2017. He then made stops at California and Northern Iowa to finish off his eligibility.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Wisconsin usually doesn't get involved with prospects from powerhouse IMG Academy in Florida, but the staff found a good fit with Nick Thomas in the 2015 class. The three-star prospect, who was originally from Kansas, jumped on his first FBS offer, which came from the Badgers. A lot of schools - Nebraska being the biggest threat - made a run at Thomas after Andersen left, but he stuck with UW because of his relationship with Dave Aranda, who stayed on as defensive coordinator. Over three seasons, Thomas did not see the field due to injuries.

Rivals Re-Ranking: Incomplete

Chryst, in an effort to add the top remaining in-state recruits in the class, sent out a greyshirt offer to Jake Whalen when he got settled at Wisconsin. That needed to be upgraded to a full ride after Iowa offered, and Whalen signed soon after. The two-star prospect began work at fullback but quit the team in 2017 due to head injuries.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Top recruit: Baun

Best surprise: Orr

Biggest bust: Farrar probably should have started at linebacker from the jump. Instead, the former four-star prospect tried to cut weight in order to stay at safety before he bumped around at both linebacker spots.

Wanted to see more from: A fully-healthy Bradrick Shaw would have been fun to see.

Top walk-ons: Jason Erdmann, Zach Hintze

Rivals.com class recruiting rank: No. 37

States represented (11): Wisconsin, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Utah, Alabama, Georgia, California, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Decommitted: Dominic Sheppard (Virginia), Jordan Stevenson (Nebraska), Jordan Griffin (Vanderbilt), Sam Madden (Georgia), Nate Howard (Missouri), Brandyn Lee (UC-Davis), Elu Aydon (Oregon State), T.J. Griffin (Virginia), Mohamed Barry (Nebraska), Jake Pickard (Syracuse), Davon Crookshank (Blinn College/Houston), Takadrae Williams and Xzavien Ausborne.

Transferred: Kyle Penniston (Rutgers), Bradrick Shaw (California), Austin Kafentzis (Nevada), Titus Booker (Southern Illinois) and Alex Hornibrook (Florida State).

NFL Draft Picks: David Edwards, Zack Baun

First-Team All-Americans: Edwards, Baun

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