Published Jan 1, 2020
Wisconsin Badgers State of the 2021 class: January Edition
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Jon McNamara  •  BadgerBlitz
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With Wisconsin sitting on eight commitments in the junior cycle, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at what's ahead in the first edition of the State of the 2021 Class.

Note: The "top target(s)" category takes into account talent level and current interest in Wisconsin. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the UW coaching staff.

QUARTERBACKS

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How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one scholarship quarterback in the 2021 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from two-star quarterback Deacon Hill.

Scholarships seniors: Jack Coan

Top targets: N/A

What's next?

There's a long way to go, but Deacon Hill was told at the time of his commitment he would be the lone scholarship quarterback Wisconsin takes in the 2021 recruiting class. The two-star prospect visited this fall and expects to be back on campus this spring or summer.

RUNNING BACKS

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take two tailbacks in the 2021 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from three-star tailback Loyal Crawford

Top target(s): Antwan Roberts, Mar'Keise Irving

Scholarships seniors: Garrett Groshek, Mason Stokke

What's next?

Loyal Crawford is already committed, and there's a chance fellow in-state standout Jackson Acker winds up at tailback as well. Regardless, it appears the staff wouldn't turn away Antwan Roberts, who visited for the first time this fall. Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue and Minnesota are doing well in Mar'Keise Irving's recruitment.

WIDE RECEIVERS

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take two wide receivers in the 2021 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers do not have a commitment from a projected wide receiver

Top target(s): Jaylin Noel, Sam Jackson

Scholarships seniors: Danny Davis, Kendric Pryor, Jack Dunn, Quintez Cephus

What's next?

Jaylin Noel picked up his offer from Wisconsin during a visit this fall. The three-star prospect also has scholarships from Iowa State, Kansas State, Minnesota and Nebraska, among others. Sam Jackson made an early pledge to the Gophers but visited UW unofficially in November. Position coach Ted Gilmore could put out a few more offers this winter.

TIGHT ENDS

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take two tight ends in the 2020 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers do not have a commitment from a projected tight end.

Top target(s): Louis Hansen, Jameson Geers, Jack Pugh

Scholarships seniors: Luke Benzschawel, Seth Currens

What's next?

Jameson Geers, who was offered at camp this summer and visited again this fall, has plenty of interest from the Big Ten. Louis Hansen, a four star prospect from Massachusetts, is more of a national recruit with scholarships from Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Penn State and Virginia, among others. Jack Pugh was offered shortly after his visit in November. The Badgers probably would like to add two scholarship tight ends for the third cycle in a row, but it will be interesting to see how the numbers crunch out moving forward.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take three offensive linemen in the 2020 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers have commitments from projected tackles JP Benzschawel and Riley Mahlman.

Top target(s): Nolan Rucci, David Davidkov, Rocco Spindler

Scholarships seniors: Cole Van Lanen, Tyler Biadasz

What's next?

Projected tackles Riley Mahlman and JP Benzschawel are already locked in, and the staff would love to finish off the group with Nolan Rucci, whose older brother, Hayden Rucci, redshirted for the Badgers in 2019. UW and Penn State are expected to be involved in his recruitment until the very end. David Davidkov and Rocco Spindler both visited this fall, as did Marcus Mbow, an intriguing option from inside the state.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take three defensive linemen in the 2021 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers do not have a commitment from a projected defensive linemen

Top target(s): T.J. Bollers, Ryan Keeler, Tyler Kiehne

Scholarships seniors: Garrett Rand, Isaiahh Loudermilk

What's next?

T.J. Bollers camped in June and visited Wisconsin twice this fall. The Badgers, along with California, Iowa, Nebraska, Iowa State and Army, are sitting well in his recruitment. On the inside, Payton Page (Greensboro, NC), Tywone Malone (Oradell, NJ), Elliot Donald (Pittsburgh, PA) and Jonathan Jefferson (Douglasville, GA) all list offers from UW, though more scholarships will almost certainly need to go out this off-season. Two ends and one nose tackle makes sense for position coach Inoke Breckterfield in 2021.

LINEBACKERS

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take four or five linebackers in the 2021 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from projected outside linebacker Ayo Adebogun and projected inside linebacker Bryan Sanborn.

Top target(s): Mac Uihlein, Darryl Peterson, Yanni Karlaftis, Damon Ollison II, Kobe King

Scholarships seniors: Noah Burks, Christian Bell

What's next?

This linebacker class could definitely get to five, especially if Jackson Acker grows into an edge prospect. For now, though, two pieces are definitely in place: Bryan Sanborn on the inside and Ayo Adeboygun on the edge. Mac Uihlein is the top choice to pair with Sanborn, though Kobe King and Damon Ollison II are realistic options as well. Darryl Peterson and Yanni Karlaftis each project to the outside. Both visited Madison for the first time this fall.

CORNERBACKS 

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one cornerbacks in the 2021 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers do not have a commitment from a projected cornerback.

Top target(s): Kalen King, Raider Damuni

Scholarships seniors: Caesar Williams

What's next?

This is expected to another small cornerback class for the Badgers. Kalen King visited and picked up an offer this fall, while Raider Damuni, a BYU commit, is a cousin of Deacon Hill. It will be interesting to see if Jim Leonhard goes into Florida for Andre Powell Jr., who played his freshman season at Waukesha Catholic Memorial. Myles Mooyoung is also someone the staff hosted a few times this fall.

SAFETIES 

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take two safeties in the 2021 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from four-star safety Hunter Wohler.

Top target(s): Justin Walters

Scholarships seniors: Eric Burrell, Madison Cone, Collin Wilder

What's next?

Keeping Hunter Wohler inside the state was a huge win for the coaching staff in December. The four-star prospect from Muskego also had offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Justin Walters is atop the wishlist to pair with Wohler, though Notre Dame could be the current favorite in his recruitment.

Outside of Wohler and Walters, David Daniel is the only other safety in the 2021 class with a scholarship from the Badgers, though offered "athletes" T. Mokiao-Atimalala, Jordan Moore, Tysheem Johnson, Raider Damuni and Daejon Reynolds could also project to the position.

ATHLETES

How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one athlete in the 2021 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment three-star athlete Jackson Acker

Scholarships seniors: N/A

What's next?

It will be interesting to see how Jackson Acker develops over the next year or so. The three-star prospect earned his offer as a running back at camp this past summer. But there's a chance Acker, 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, grows into a linebacker at the next level.

"Talking to the Wisconsin coaches, they see Jackson as an athlete," Wildcats' head coach Dave Richardson told BadgerBlitz.com. "If he stays around the same size, he is fast and quick enough to play running back, and he proved that at camp. But if he grows into something else, he'd also be great as an outside linebacker in their 3-4 defense. He could potentially carry 240 or 250 pounds in a few years. The possibilities are endless because he has a great frame and isn't done growing yet.

"For us, he's going to be all over the field. We just have to decide where he's going to create the most havoc. When you get a kid like this, you're going to spread him around quite a bit and have some fun with it."

Acker rushed for over 900 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior.

SPECIAL TEAMS

How many will they take? Wisconsin will look to take one or two walk-on specialists in the 2020 class.

Who do they already have? The Badgers do not have a commitment from a projected specialist

Scholarships seniors: Long snapper Adam Bay

What's next?

In-state prospects Tyler Bittman (Arrowhead) and Owen Konopacki (Sun Prairie) both visited this fall. If the Badgers do use a scholarship on a specialist this year, it will almost certainly come during camp in June.