In Paul Chryst's first full recruiting cycle at Wisconsin, the Badgers signed a huge 25-athlete class. Much of the group was from the Midwest, but UW did venture out to Georgia, Florida, Colorado, Arizona, Maryland, Texas and Connecticut to secure talent.

"It was a big class," Chryst said on Signing Day. "I think we were able to add a number of different positions, really every position we were able to cover and certainly a lot of them more than one. I think the thing that gets lost today, there is so much focus on maybe where you're ranked or what's this going to do for your program, the thing that gets lost and we try to make sure we celebrate with these young men and their families, this is a big day for these kids.

"It was fun talking to them today and really the days building up. Not every kid has the opportunity to play in college and to be able to earn a scholarship and to play in the Big Ten and to do it here at Wisconsin."

Continuing our series: As Wisconsin fans count down the days before the start of fall camp, we look back at the 2016 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 | Recruiting Rewind: Class of 2015 |

Wisconsin legacy Luke Benzschawel was originally recruited as a defensive end but was told he would begin at tight end just a few weeks before he arrived on campus. At UW, Benzschawel played in 15 games with four starts but was forced to retire from football in February of 2020. Prior to that season, Benzschawel was pegged as the back-up to multi-year starter Jake Ferguson.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Tyler Biadasz, who earned an offer at Wisconsin's camp in 2015 as a defensive lineman, chose the Badgers over Illinois State, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois and Western Illinois. At UW, Biadasz moved to center and was the winner of the 2019 Rimington Award as the best player at that position in college football. That same year, the former in-state prospect from Amherst was named a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association. Biadasz was selected by Dallas in Round 4 of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ****

Antonio Williams was actually Wisconsin's first commit in the 2016 class. But in October of 2015, the four-star running back decommitted and pledged to Ohio State soon after. As UW moved down its board, Sam Brodner, a one-time Vanderbilt commit, impressed during camp that summer as an athlete (linebacker or tailback) and became the top option that winter. Looking back, though, it was preferred walk-on Garrett Groshek, a former prep quarterback, who has made the biggest impact on the program at tailback. Brodner was with the program for just two seasons.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Noah Burks received a big ratings bump after a strong performance at the Semper Fedelis All-American game just before Signing Day in 2016. During his recruitment, Burks picked the Badgers over offers from Boston College, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois and Maryland, among others. At Wisconsin, Burks played in 55 games with 43 starts at outside linebacker.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

During his recruitment, Eric Burrell netted over 20 offers, with Arizona, Duke, Iowa, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Wake Forest, among others, all on his scholarship sheet. In November of 2015, the standout from Maryland pledged to Wisconsin, in large because of his relationship with position coach Daronte Jones. As a Badger, Burrell played in 48 games with 26 starts at safety.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

Dontye Carriere-Williams was considered a big get out of St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida. As a redshirt freshman at Wisconsin in 2017, Carriere-Williams played in 12 games and recorded 30 tackles with six pass defended and one interception. He was in line to start in the fall of 2018 but surprisingly announced his intentions to transfer during camp. Carriere-Williams landed at Independence Community College and then Vanderbilt. He finished his playing career at Texas State.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Quintez Cephus, one of the best "sleeper" finds for the Badgers during the Rivals.com era, was originally committed to play basketball at Furman. But Wisconsin assistant coach Ted Gilmore took a chance on the Georgia product, a decision that certainly paid off. In 2019, Cephus led the Badgers in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and was selected by Detroit in Round 5 of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ****

A 6-foot-3, 198-pound prospect from Pickerington Central in Ohio, Seth Currens chose Wisconsin over offers from Bowling Green, Illinois, Marshall, Miami (OH), Ohio, Robert Morris and Toledo. The three-star talent had the potential to be a long, rangy safety but moved to linebacker and then tight end at UW. Currens entered the transfer portal in January of 2020.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Griffin Grady, who chose UW over offers from Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Northwestern and Virginia, played as a true freshman but battled injuries during his career at Wisconsin. The former three-star prospect competed in 21 games and recorded 10 tackles, including five solo stops.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Deron Harrell was a greyshirt signee for the Badgers in the 2016 class. He was originally slated to start at receiver but moved to cornerback after a redshirt season. And though he brought intriguing size and length to the position, Harrell only played in 22 games with nine starts at Wisconsin. He transferred to Wyoming and is still on the Cowboys' roster.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Dallas Jeanty had offers from Army, Stanford, Duke, Oregon State, Cincinnati, Maryland, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Princeton and Yale, among others, during the time of his commitment to Wisconsin. He enrolled early at Wisconsin but left after his freshman season and landed at Navy.

Rivals Re-Ranking: Incomplete

Patrick Johnson, a 6-foot, 180-pound three-star prospect, chose the Badgers over 20-plus scholarship offers, a list that included Georgia, Iowa, Michigan State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rutgers and Wake Forest, among others. He was recruited by Maryland native and first-year defensive backs coach Daronte Jones. Johnson played two seasons for the Badgers before leaving the program due to personal reasons.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Isaiahh Loudermilk was an all-state performer in Kansas as a senior who racked up 97 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and four blocked punts in 8-man football. He ultimately chose the Badgers over Oregon and Kansas State but accumulated multiple offers from across the country during his recruitment. At Wisconsin, Loudermilk played in 40 games with 26 starts at defensive end. He was selected by Pittsburgh in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

Anthony Lotti emerged from a national pool of talent at Wisconsin's camp in 2015. He caught the attention of staff member and former UW kicker Taylor Mehlhaff, as well as special teams coordinator Chris Haering, who extended a full scholarship. Lotti played in 34 games during an up and down career at Wisconsin.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

The Badgers extended an early (and first) scholarship to the Wisconsin legacy Kare' Lyles and earned his commitment soon after. He redshirted in 2016 and transferred soon after. After a junior college stint, Lyles landed at Southern Illinois and then Jackson State. Chryst tried to make a late run at in-state quarterback Nate Stanley in this class but he did not waver from his commitment to Iowa.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

In the 2016 class, Wisconsin snagged Jake Hescock, a big tight end on the East Coast who had offers from Pittsburgh, Temple and Wake Forest, among others, during his recruitment. Hescock transferred to UCF in 2017 and played there until 2021. In December of 2022, Hescock tragically passed away at the age of 25.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Patrick Kasl earned an offer at Wisconsin's summer camp in 2015. He chose the Badgers over offers from Eastern Michigan, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Yale and North Dakota. He left the UW program prior to the start of the 2018 season to pursue biomedical engineering studies at the university.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Ke'Shan Pennamon, who made a late trip to Rutgers despite his commitment to Wisconsin, signed with the Badgers but never made in through admissions. He enrolled at Palmetto Prep in Columbia, S.C., in hopes of improving his academic standing but nothing materialized with the Badgers.

Rivals Re-Ranking: Incomplete

Dave Aranda served as the lead contact for Keldric Preston, who chose the Badgers over offers from Miami, Mississippi State, Boston College, Louisville, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Florida and USF, among others. Preston was tried at outside linebacker and defensive end during his short time in Madison but left the program in 2018.

Rivals Re-Ranking: **

Kendric Pryor was initially recruited by Wisconsin to play cornerback, but the switch to receiver was enough to earn his commitment and signature. As a Badger, he had 99 receptions for 1,265 yards and seven touchdowns. Pryor was claimed off waivers by Jacksonville in August of 2022.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

Wisconsin held on to four-star defensive tackle Garrett Rand despite a late push from UCLA. During his recruitment, the Rivals250 member and U.S. Army All-American Bowl participant also had offers from Arizona State, Nebraska, Stanford and Washington, among others. At UW, Rand started 14 games and played in 47 for UW. He missed the 2018 season after suffered a torn Achilles. He returned to start nine games in 2019 and five games in 2020 but walked away from football prior to the start of the 2021 season.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

Mason Stokke's move from outside linebacker to fullback at Wisconsin proved to be a sound decision. He played in 28 games with 13 starts at the position for the Badgers. During his recruitment, Stokke chose UW over Iowa.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

Four-star athlete A.J. Taylor was the highest-rated prospect in this cycle for the Badgers. Iowa, Northwestern, Nebraska, Kansas State and Maryland were all heavily involved, but assistant coach Ted Gilmore was able to earn Taylor's commitment in August of 2015. At UW, Taylor played as a true freshman and went on to participate in 52 games with 20 starts.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

Caesar Williams was commit No. 25 for the Badgers in the 2016 class. The 6-foot, 171-pound prospect from Texas ultimately chose UW over Kansas State, but also had offers from SMU, Indiana, Houston and Illinois, among others. At UW, Williams blossomed later in his career played in 48 total games with 31 starts at corner.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ***

In-state tackle Cole Van Lanen, a US Army Bowl All-American, had offers from a number of programs across the Midwest with strong interest from the SEC as well. He committed to the Badgers in the summer of 2015. As a Badger, Van Lanen played in 45 games with 19 starts at left tackle. He was rated as nation's highest-graded offensive tackle for 2018 season by Pro Football Focus (90.4) and was selected by Green Bay in Round 6 of 2021 NFL Draft.

Rivals Re-Ranking: ****

Top recruit: Biadasz

Best surprise: Cephus

Biggest bust: Preston was a pretty heavily-recruited prospect from Florida who never did much at Wisconsin. You could also make a case for Lotti, a three-star scholarship punter.

Wanted to see more from: Grady played as a true freshman but battled injuries during his career at Wisconsin. The former three-star prospect competed in 21 games and recorded 10 tackles, including five solo stops.

Top walk-ons: Garrett Groshek, Jack Dunn, Mike Maskalunas

Rivals.com class recruiting rank: No. 35

States represented (14): Wisconsin, Texas, Ohio, Missouri, Minnesota, Maryland, Kansas, Indiana, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, Colorado, Arizona and Connecticut.

Notable: The Badgers didn't get Collin Wilder out of high school, but they picked him up as a transfer from Houston.

Decommitted: Antonio Williams (Ohio State), Craig Watts (South Florida)

Transferred: Jake Hescock (Central Florida), Dallas Jeanty (Navy), Dontye Carriere-Williams (JUCO/Vanderbilt), Kare Lyles (JUCO/Southern Illinois) and Seth Currens (Miami of Ohio) and Griffin Grady.

NFL Draft Picks: Biadasz, Cephus, Van Lanen, Loudermilk

First-Team All-Americans: Biadasz

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