Coming off a disappointing 2008 season, Wisconsin football head coach Bret Bielema has stressed competitiveness and work ethic to his team by giving each player on the roster a chance to prove he belongs on the field. The open competition at every position has forced the entire roster to develop a greater sense of urgency. Even the incoming freshmen are getting the opportunity to earn some playing time, and there are quite a few who are already making an impact.

Wisconsin’s 2009 recruiting class featured several nationally ranked players and as usual had its fair share of under the radar-type prospects. The coaches traveled all over the country to bring in talent and were rewarded with a deep recruiting class. Defensive coordinator Dave Doeren was responsible for evaluating the Missouri area, and he was able to secure commitments from two of the country’s top offensive players.

Montee Ball, a freshman from Wentzville Mo., and Kraig Appleton, a wide receiver from East St. Louis, Ill. were brought to UW due in large part to Doeren’s recruiting efforts.

“Both of them were national recruits, so it was a matter of getting them interested in us,” Doeren said.

Ball was first to commit to the Badgers, and he revealed UW was always a heavy favorite in his mind.

“Wisconsin was the school that seemed the most interested in me,” Ball explained. “I related to the coaches pretty well, and I was drawn to their style of offense since the one I ran in high school is very similar.”

Doeren knew what Ball was looking for in a school and he made sure the state of Missouri’s all time leading rusher was well aware of how good a fit UW could be.

“Montee wanted to play in an offense like ours, an offense that wants to run with power,” Doeren said. “He knew what he wanted so his recruitment was over early.”

With Ball committed, Doeren looked to reel in Kraig Appleton, one of the nation’s top wide receivers. Appleton’s recruitment continued until the bitter end, and it was a battle between UW and Illinois that lasted until signing day. Wisconsin’s coaches and players built a strong connection with Appleton, and that ultimately played a large role in his decision to become a Badger.

“The coaches always called and checked up on me and the players would always contact me,” Appleton said. “I felt a lot of love and support.”

Doeren knew he was in a struggle with Big Ten rival Illinois for Appleton’s services, especially when the Illini were able to bring in some of Appleton’s high school teammates. But Doeren felt that UW had more to offer the wide receiver.

“Kraig wanted to get away and write his own story, as opposed to going to a place where a lot of his teammates have already been,” Doeren said.

Doeren has been busy coaching the defense and getting his unit ready for the season opener, but he has been impressed with what he has seen from the offensive playmakers he brought in.

“Well practice is practice and the lights are going to come on here in a few days. But they both look like guys who can certainly help us win.”

Tight ends coach Joe Rudolph added some more talent to UW’s roster by bringing in a talented linebacker prospect from Ohio. Chris Borland, a prospect from Kettering, Ohio, cracked the two-deep in the latest depth chart and has been solid from day one.

“Chris came in and did an amazing job in camp and he really earned it,” Rudolph said. “He has all the intangibles that you look for in a Badger football player.”

Although he had limited national attention and only received a few scholarship offers, Borland had his heart set on becoming a Badger and wanted to prove himself as soon as possible.

“The recruiting process was a lot of fun, but I knew I always wanted to be a Badger,” Borland explained. “For Wisconsin to show interest was really a dream come true.”

Another Ohio commitment came from Brian Wozniak, who has the potential to continue the tight end tradition here at UW.

“Brian has great size and receiving skills, and he is a guy who takes advantage of every opportunity,” Rudolph stated.

While Doeren and Rudolph were busy recruiting in the Midwest, it was defensive line coach Charlie Partridge who was looking for talent down in Florida. Florida has some of the best high school players in the country, and is home to the national champions — St. Thomas Aquinas. Thanks to coach Partridge, UW now has two players from the country’s top ranked high school on the roster. Linebacker Conor O’Neill, and defensive back Dezmen Southward decided to come up north to Madison to play college football.

The coaching staff was excited to bring in a prospect like O’Neill, who was one of the leaders of the national championship team.

“Conor comes from a high school program that just speaks for itself,” Partridge said. “He is a student of the game, and he is a very intelligent football player.”

Even off the football field Partridge felt that there was something special about O’Neill.

“He just has innate leadership abilities,” Partridge said. “His parents raised him to be that way, and you can see that as soon as you step into his home.”

Southward, the other St. Thomas graduate, has shown the coaching staff his impressive athletic ability. The coaches say that he is just beginning to realize his potential.

“Dezmen has an extremely high ceiling and some of our kids say that he is the fastest guy on the team,” stated Partridge. “I mean this is only his second year playing football, but the athletic ability just speaks for itself.”

With a number of multi-year starters leaving the program, UW is entering a time where new leaders and playmakers will have to emerge. The 2009 class has some highly regarded talent as well as some unknowns, but Rudolph and the coaching staff are confident the incoming freshmen have what it takes to succeed.

“They are all just smart, tough and dependable,” Rudolph said. “That’s what we’re looking for.”