With Wisconsin sitting on 11 commitments in the rising senior cycle, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at what's ahead in the eighth edition of the State of the 2022 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
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one scholarship quarterback in the 2022 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from three-star quarterback Myles Burkett.
Top targets: N/A
Scholarship seniors: Danny Vanden Boom (5th year)
What's next?
Burkett, an in-state prospect from Franklin High School, is expected to be the only scholarship quarterback Wisconsin takes in the 2022 class. The Badgers have not signed two players at the position since Danny Vanden Boom and Jack Coan in 2017.
RUNNING BACKS
How many will they take? Wisconsin may not take a scholarship tailback in the 2022 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers do not have a commitment from a projected tailback.
Top target(s): N/A
Scholarship seniors: John Chenal (4th year)
What's next?
With Nicholas Singleton now on Penn State's commit list, Wisconsin's top - and, at the time, only - target at the position is off the board. Unless assistant coach Gary Brown finds a tailback this fall, the Badgers may elect to punt on the position in 2022 and focus on the junior class.
WIDE RECEIVERS
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take two wide receivers in the 2022 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have commitments from three-star wide receivers Tommy McIntosh and Vinny Anthony.
Top target(s): N/A
Preferred walk-on offers: Cody Cotton, Evan Redding
Scholarship seniors: Jack Dunn (6th year), Kendric Pryor (6th year), Danny Davis (5th year)
What's next?
With Anthony and McIntosh in the mix, Wisconsin could be done at receiver in the 2022 class, especially if Cade Yacamelli, who is being recruited as an athlete, gets his start with Alvis Whitted's position group.
TIGHT ENDS
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one tight end in the 2022 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from two-star tight end JT Seagreaves.
Top target(s): Jeremiah Franklin
Scholarship seniors: Jake Ferguson (5th year)
What's next?
Seagreaves, who camped twice, visited officially and committed to Wisconsin all in the same month, is expected to be the only tight end the Badgers take in this class. Should something open up later in the cycle, however, Franklin could be an option. The Boston College commit picked up an offer from the Badgers last winter and talked about potentially visiting Madison this summer, but that was prior to Seagreaves jumping onto Wisconsin's radar.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take four offensive linemen in the 2022 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from two-star tackle Barrett Nelson and four-star tackle Joe Brunner.
Top target(s): Billy Schrauth, Carson Hinzman
Scholarship seniors: Kayden Lyles, Logan Bruss, Tyler Beach, Josh Seltzner (all 5th year)
What's next?
With Nelson and Brunner now on Wisconsin's commit list, the Badgers are done with projected tackles. But there are still two remaining targets - Hinzman and Schrauth - on the offensive line for UW. Even if the Badgers miss on Hinzman or Schrauth, a new offer at the position likely will not be extended. Realistically, the staff would be fine with just three scholarship linemen in the current cycle. Hinzman has taken official visits to Wisconsin, Iowa, Notre Dame and Ohio State, while Schrauth is expected to decide between the Badgers and Irish.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one or two defensive tackles in the 2022 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from three-star tackle Curtis Neal.
Top target(s): Kenneth Grant
Scholarship seniors: Bryson Williams (4th year)
What's next?
Wisconsin, which did not sign a defensive tackle in 2021, isn't done at the position in this cycle. Neal projects as a zero-technique, and Ross Kolodziej is looking for one more player to compliment him on the inside. Grant, a three-star talent from Indiana, watched his recruitment take off this spring. Ohio State and Michigan came in with scholarships, and Grant earned an offer from UW after he camped with the Badgers in June. He is expected to decide from one of the those three schools but hasn't talked about a timetable for a decision.
DEFENSIVE END
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one defensive end in the 2022 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers do not have a commitment from a projected defensive end.
Top target(s): Isaac Hamm
Scholarship seniors: Matt Henningsen (5th year)
What's next?
Hamm visited Wisconsin the weekend of June 4 and used another official on Louisville in the middle of the month. The three-star prospect hasn't talked about a timetable for a potential decision, but it would be surprising to see him leave the state.
LINEBACKERS
How many will they take? Wisconsin may not take a scholarship linebacker in the 2022 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers do not have a commitment from a projected linebacker
Top target(s): N/A
Preferred walk-on offers: Luna Larson, Zach Gloudeman, Austin Harnetiaux
Scholarship seniors: Mike Maskalunas (6th year), Noah Burks (6th year), Izayah Green-May (5th year), Jack Sanborn (4th year)
What's next?
Similar to the situation at tailback, Wisconsin may not take a scholarship linebacker in this cycle after Sebastian Cheeks announced his commitment to North Carolina earlier this week. Rather, the Badgers may try to hit on Larson, Gloudeman or Harnetiaux, all of whom have Division 1 scholarships, through a preferred walk-on opportunity.
CORNERBACKS
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take two or three cornerbacks in the 2022 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have commitments from three-star corners A'Khoury Lyde and Avyonne Jones.
Top target(s): N/A
Scholarship seniors: Caesar Williams (6th year), Faion Hicks (5th year), Deron Harrell (5th year)
What's next?
Lyde was the first domino to fall at corner and Jones' versatility may allow Wisconsin to go after one more in the 2022 class. If that is going to happen, however, more offers will likely need to go out at the position.
SAFETIES
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one safety in the 2022 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from projected safety Austin Brown.
Top target(s): N/A
Preferred walk-on offers: Jackson Trudgeon (committed)
Scholarship seniors: Colin Wilder (6th year), Scott Nelson (5th year)
What's next?
Brown, who chose the Badgers over Illinois, Michigan, Northwestern and Boston College, was Wisconsin's most recent commitment in this class. At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, the three-star prospect should give UW is physical presence in the defensive backfield.
ATHLETE
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take two athletes in the 2022 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from three-star athlete Cade Yacamelli.
Top target(s): Anthony Brown
Scholarship seniors: N/A
What's next?
Yacamelli is a true athlete who can play on either side of the ball when he arrives in Madison. At the camp where he earned an offer, the three-star prospect worked at running back, wide receiver and safety in front of the Wisconsin coaching staff.
The next athlete to watch in this class is Brown, a three-star prospect from Tennessee. Wisconsin finds itself in his top five, along with Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee, and Brown is expected to visit UW officially this fall. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior likely projects as a defensive back for the Badgers.
