247Sports’ Evan Flood published an article yesterday that ranked the Badgers’ best recruiting classes since the site started tracking class rankings in 2002.
It needs to be said, even though the class isn’t yet complete, that head coach Paul Chryst’s 2021 class is in line to be the best of them all. Now ranked No. 16 in the nation, the 2021 class is still set to several more highly-touted recruits and could rise close to top-10 for the first time in program history.
Nevertheless, here are his rankings.
Honorable Mentions
- 2011: Melvin Gordon, Michael Caputo, Derek Watt
- 2010: James White, Beau Allen, Rob Havenstein
- 2007: John Clay, Josh Oglesby, Aaron Henry, Phil Welch, Nick Toon
- 2002: John Stocco, Alex Lewis, Brandon Williams, Mark Zalewski, Joe Stellmacher
No. 10: 2004 (No. 36 in the nation)
- Nick Hayden
- Jack Ikegwuonu
- Kraig Urbik
- Chris Pressley
- Taylor Mehlhaff
No. 9: 2003 (No. 31 in the nation)
- Joe Thomas
- Tyler Donovan
- Kenneth DeBauche
- Roderick Rodgers
- Luke Swan
No. 8: 2017 (No. 39 in the nation)
- Jonathan Taylor
- Logan Bruss
- Jake Ferguson
- Tyler Beach
- Jack Coan
- Danny Davis
- Scott Nelson
- Faion Hicks
- Kayden Lyles
No. 7: 2016 (No. 35 in the nation)
- Cole Van Lanen
- Garrett Rand
- Isaiahh Loudermilk
- Tyler Biadasz
- Quintez Cephus
- A.J. Taylor
- Kendric Pryor
- Noah Burks
- Eric Burrell
No. 6: 2008 (No. 37 in the nation)
- Ricky Wagner
- Kevin Zeitler
- Peter Konz
- Marcus Cromartie
- Brad Nortmond
- Michael Taylor
No. 5: 2006 (No. 36 in the nation)
- Lance Kendricks
- Gabe Carimi
- Scott Tolzien
- Bill Nagy
No. 4: 2013 (No. 40 in the nation)
- T.J. Watt
- Corey Clement
- Leon Jacobs
- Troy Fumagalli
- Sojourn Shelton
- Rob Wheelwright
- Garret Dooley
- Jazz Peavy
- Jack Cichy and Ryan Connelly (both walk-ons)
No. 3: 2019 (No. 29 in the nation)
- Graham Mertz
- Logan Brown
- Keeanu Benton
- Leo Chenal
- Semar Melvin
- Spencer Lytle
- Joe Tippmann
- Maema Njongmeta
No. 2: 2009 (No. 45 in the nation)
- Chris Borland
- Travis Frederick
- Montee Ball
- Ryan Groy
No. 1: 2005 (No. 30 in the nation)
- Travis Beckum
- Jonathan Casillas
- Matt Shaughnessy
- DeAndre Levy
- Garrett Graham
- O’Brien Schofield
- P.J. Hill
My take: I have no arguments with No. 1-6, though given with Jonathan Taylor did in his three years at Wisconsin I would’ve liked to see the 2017 class ranked a bit higher. Aside from that this list makes a lot of sense, but if you ask me what the top-10 will be when we check back in four years from now the 2021 class has a great shot to take a top-5 spot.
You may notice the highest-ranked class is the 2019 group at No. 29. 2021’s squad is again already No. 16 with five-star offensive tackle Nolan Rucci, four-star defensive end T.J. Bollers, four-star tight end Terrance Ferguson and more highly-rated players still on the Badgers’ radar and yet to announce their commitments.
Check back in to our “Wisconsin football recruiting 2021 commitment tracker” as Chryst and the Badgers keep rising in the national rankings.