Christmas came a couple of days early for Badger fans, as coveted four-star safety Hunter Wohler joined Wisconsin’s 2021 recruiting class with a surprise commitment on Monday evening.
#OnWisconsin ⚪️🔴 @CoachKhalif @jimleonhard pic.twitter.com/diJgUpSppb
— Hunter Wohler (@HunterWohler) December 24, 2019
The first in-state player the Badgers offered in this recruiting cycle, the four-star prospect from Muskego has long been arguably Wisconsin’s top priority in this class. Bucky had been considered the favorite ever since extending the offer, considering Wohler grew up a Badger fan and Wisconsin also rarely loses in-state recruits that it pursues so heavily.
That being said, most expected the nation’s No. 241 overall player and No. 7 safety according to the 247Sports composite to keep his recruitment open a little longer and make the Badgers work a bit harder than they usually would for an in-state prospect. Wohler boasts other offers from Notre Dame, Ohio State, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota, with more almost certainly on the way. The Buckeyes and Fighting Irish, in particular, were thought to be pretty close to Wisconsin atop his list of suitors.
With the addition of Wohler, Wisconsin’s eight-man 2021 class ranks No. 5 nationally and No. 2 in the Big Ten, per 247Sports. The other seven members are three-star inside linebacker Bryan Sanborn (Lake Zurich, Ill.), three-star defensive end/outside linebacker Ayo Adebogun (Thiensville, Wis.), four-star offensive tackles JP Benzschawel (Grafton, Wis.) and Riley Mahlman (Lakeville, Minn.), three-star running backs Jackson Acker (Verona, Wis.) and Loyal Crawford (Eau Claire, Wis.) and three-star quarterback Deacon Hill (Santa Barbara, Calif.).