With Wisconsin sitting on 10 commitments in the rising senior cycle, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at what's ahead in the seventh 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, a three-star 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): Nicholas Singleton
Scholarship seniors: John Chenal (4th year)
What's next?
Wisconsin appears to be out of the race - or at least trailing - for Nicholas Singleton, who recently said Notre Dame and Penn State were tied in his recruitment. The four-star back visited Madison officially the weekend of June 4. Unless someone emerges on the Badgers' radar this fall, it's likely UW goes without a scholarship tailback in this cycle.
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): Dane Key, Omar Cooper Jr., Anthony Brown
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. Key, Cooper Jr. and Brown have the Badgers in their top groups, respectively, but it would be surprising to see them take a visit to Wisconsin this summer.
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 in the 2022 class.
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 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): Keith Miles Jr., Felix Hixon, Kenneth Grant, Quentel Jones
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.
Hixon and Miles Jr. have both taken official visits to Wisconsin. South Carolina, Illinois, Georgia Tech and Virginia, in addition to UW, are still being considered by Hixon, while Miles Jr. has a top three of Wisconsin, Texas and Georgia Tech. Jones was scheduled to visit Wisconsin last month, but that trip was pushed back to the fall.
Grant watched his recruitment take off this spring. Ohio State and Michigan came in with scholarship offers, and the three-star prospect earned an offer from UW after he camped with the Badgers in June. Grant is expected to take officials to all three schools either this summer or fall.
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): Sebastian Cheeks
Preferred walk-on offers: Luna Larson
Scholarship seniors: Mike Maskalunas (6th year), Jack Sanborn (4th year), Noah Burks (6th year), Izayah Green-May (5th year)
What's next?
Wisconsin loaded up on linebackers in the last two cycles, signing five scholarship prospects at the position in 2020 and six in 2021. With that, the 2022 linebacker group is expected to be much smaller. Cheeks has been a top target for some time, and the four-star prospect took an unofficial visit to Madison last month. Michigan, North Carolina, Texas and Oregon are also still heavily involved in his recruitment.
CORNERBACKSÂ
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): Caleb Coley, James Monds III
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 should allow Wisconsin to go after one more on its 2022 board. Assuming that's the case, the next player to watch at the position is Coley, who visited Wisconsin the weekend of June 4. The three-star prospect has also taken officials to Michigan State and Vanderbilt, along with an unofficial to Clemson.
Monds III is also coming off an official to Wisconsin. Momentum, though, seems to be in favor of Nebraska as he gets closer to a final decision, which is expected on July 4.
SAFETIESÂ
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one safety in the 2022 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers do not have a commitment from a projected safety.
Top target(s): Austin Brown
Preferred walk-on offers: Jackson Trudgeon (committed), Deven Magli
Scholarship seniors: Colin Wilder (6th year), Scott Nelson (5th year)
What's next?
The Badgers' top safety target for much of the offseason, Brown took official visits to Wisconsin (June 4), Northwestern (June 11), Michigan (June 18), Boston College (June 22) and Illinois (June 25) last month. A decision is expected in the near future.
"I'll take this next week with no visits, wind down with finally be home for a bit, and come up with a good decision," Brown told Rivals.com. "My top 5 all of my official visits. I'll break it out and go into a better evaluation with my family."
ATHLETEÂ
How many will they take? Wisconsin is expected to take one athlete in the 2022 class.
Who do they already have? The Badgers have a commitment from three-star athlete Cade Yacamelli.
Top target(s): Xavier 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. Brown is also someone the staff views as an offensive weapon with the ability, like Yacamelli, to play running back or wide receiver. The three-star back was expected to visit officially in June, but that trip never happened.
