Grading the quarterback addition in the 2022 recruiting class

Wisconsin took just one quarterback in it’s 2022 recruiting class. I breakdown Wisconsin’s recruiting process and grade the newest quarterback addition.

The Wisconsin badgers signed 14 scholarship players during the early signing period of the 2022 recruiting cycle this past Wednesday. And while that number is subject to change, Wisconsin’s class currently ranks 44th in the country, and 11th in the Big Ten – with an average recruiting ranking of (0.874), per 247 sports.

In part one of a position by position recruiting evaluation series, I will be handing out grades for each position from the early signing period – beginning with quarterbacks.

QUARTERBACK: C

Franklin quarterback Myles Burkett committed to Wisconsin immediately upon receiving an offer in January.

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Commits (1): Myles Burkett.

Other offers (2): Devin Brown (Ohio State), Brady Allen (Purdue).

Wisconsin missed on their top target Devin Brown, who Paul Chryst and company were all in on at one point. Some even felt as though Wisconsin was the favorite to secure Brown’s services late in his recruitment. Once Brown committed to USC, Wisconsin was forced to pivot to their plan B, knowing they would still be needing a quarterback in the 2022 cycle.

Paul Chryst would then extend an offer to in state quarterback Myles Burkett from Franklin, Wisconsin. Due to Covid-19, Wisconsin hadn’t even evaluated Burkett in person. Burkett would of course go on to accept the offer from Wisconsin and was the only quarterback taken in the class.

Myles Burkett is a three-star recruit per 247 sports (41st ranked QB/7th ranked player in WI).

As a senior, Myles Burkett completed 206 of 289 passes (71%) for 3,427 yards and 36 touchdowns with just 4 interceptions. He also helped lead Franklin to a 14-0 record and Division 1 state championship.

Career accolades:

• Gatorade Player of the Year for Wisconsin
• Named winner of Dave Krieg Award, given to the top quarterback in Wisconsin
• Named conference player of the year three times
• Two-time WFCA first-team all-state selection.

Conclusion:

In my opinion, this is a signing that would be far less exciting if he weren’t an in-state player. Burkett is an accurate passer, has some mobility (although he’s not a dual threat type), and is a natural leader. He isn’t a player who is going to wow you with his arm strength, but there is more than enough to work with here to remain optimistic about his chances of developing into a starting caliber quarterback.

Overall, it’s hard to justify more than a “C” given the miss on Brown. I would have liked to see Wisconsin take two quarterbacks in this class, because it’s evident that the position still leaves something to be desired within the program. Until Wisconsin strikes gold, it may be difficult to take that illustrious “next step” as a program.

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