New Wisconsin head football coach Paul Chryst didn’t have a whole lot of time to put together the finishing touches on the recruiting class of 2015 for Wisconsin once he was hired on Dec. 18.
But now, after 49 hectic days, Chryst and the Wisconsin football team have their 2015 recruiting class set after 30 high school players – both on scholarship and as walk-ons – signed letters of intent Wednesday as part of National Signing Day to play their collegiate football careers at Wisconsin.
“Today is a big day for any program, and I’m excited about the guys that are joining our team,” Chryst said. “I think in all of recruiting you’re looking for a couple of things. You’re looking for guys that add value to your team, certainly on the field, in the locker room. I think we’ve done that with this group.”
Wisconsin finished National Signing Day with the 30th ranked class in 2015 and the fourth best in the Big Ten, according to Scout.com. The offensive side of the Badgers’ class is highlighted by three-star quarterback Austin Kafentzis from Sandy, Utah and running back Jordan Stevenson, a four-star prospect from Dallas, Texas who is ranked as the 84th overall prospect in the 2015 class by Scout.com.
Despite committing to Wisconsin in June of 2013, Kafentzis took an official visit to Oregon State once former head coach Gary Andersen left Wisconsin for Corvallis. But ultimately, Kafentzis stuck with the Badgers and enrolled early at Wisconsin to participate in workouts and spring practices in March and April. The 6-foot-1 quarterback owns 15 Utah state high school football records, throwing for 13,079 yards, rushing for 6,942 yards and throwing for 115 touchdowns in his high school career.
Kafentzis, along with fellow early-enrollee quarterback Alex Hornibrook, joins an already-crowded quarterback position at Wisconsin. With the addition of Kafentzis and Hornibrook, the Badgers currently have seven quarterbacks on the roster, with the starting job up for grabs after the inconsistent play from redshirt juniors Tanner McEvoy and Joel Stave last season.
“When you have people competing, that’s going to make everyone better,” Kafentzis said. “Because if you’re already handed the job, you’re laid back, and I don’t know how everyone’s approach is to it, but when you have to compete for a job and you have to learn from the coaches and the coaching staff, all that comes together and you’re going to have a good output.”
Much like Kafentzis, Chryst sees the depth at quarterback as an added advantage for the Badgers, with all seven currently in Madison.
“If we’re going to be stacked at one spot, I kind of like it being at the quarterback,” Chryst said.
Stevenson is the highest ranked prospect in Wisconsin’s class, according to Scout.com. The 5-foot-9 Dallas, Texas running back rushed for 2,530 yards and 28 touchdowns his senior season. He was named a second-team all-state selection by the Associated Press. Stevenson originally was committed to the University of Texas but committed to Wisconsin when it didn’t even have a head coach — the day after Andersen departed.
Wisconsin running backs coach Thomas Brown was instrumental in bringing in Stevenson to UW, along with three-star running back Bradrick Shaw out of Alabama powerhouse Hoover High School. Both could contend for playing time in their freshman season behind Corey Clement.
“It was a tough battle for both those guys to get them on board,” Brown said of Stevenson and Shaw. “Obviously the tradition here attracted those guys. The program sold itself.”
The Badgers also shored up their offensive line depth, adding four-star tackle Jon Dietzen — who’s enrolled early — from Black Creek, Wisconsin, along with four-star guard David Moorman from Northville, Michigan.
Wisconsin added just one wide receiver, two-star prospect Andrew James as well as three-star tight ends Kyle Penniston (Orange, California) and David Edwards (Downers Grove, Illinois).
Defensively, the top two high school quarterbacks in Wisconsin will make the switch from the position to linebacker for the Badgers. Three-star recruit Alec Ingold, the 2014 AP Wisconsin Player of the Year and 2014 Gatorade Wisconsin Player of the Year, comes to Madison from Bay Port High School in Green Bay. Not only did Ingold excel on the football field, he is also a talented wrestler, which should help as he translates to defense.
Joining Ingold at linebacker will be Brown Deer High School’s Zack Baun from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Another three-star recruit, Baun was named the 2014 Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Offensive Player of the Year and was a first-team all-state selection by WFCA.
“You just feel confident that they’re the right kind of guys that will fit and do well here,” Chryst said of Ingold and Baun. “I think that linebacker right now is probably where you would start them at and see, but I think they both, different stories, but I think they both have a great opportunity here to be special.”
Perhaps Wisconsin’s biggest pickup from National Signing Day was four-star prospect Arrington Farrar from Atlanta, Georgia. Farrar chose Wisconsin over Notre Dame on Wednesday and was a first-team Class AAAA all-state selection at defensive back in Georgia.
Another early-enrollee, inside linebacker Nick Thomas, joins the Badgers and was ranked the top middle linebacker in Florida by Scout.com. Four-star cornerback Titus Booker from Grayslake, Ill. will add to the depth in the defensive secondary.
As with any coaching change in college football, the recruiting process for Chryst and his new coaching staff brought in some new players, kept many players from former head coach Gary Andersen and lost some commits along the way in the span of less than two months.
But overall, Chryst said he is happy with how the 2015 recruiting class turned out for Wisconsin despite the lack of recruiting time at UW. It’s a class that Chryst and the rest of the Badgers hope will continue to keep Wisconsin among the top of the Big Ten.
“I think it is a group that can, and will, have success here, individually, and certainly help our team to have some success,” Chryst said. “I’m excited about that.”
