Highly touted 4-star recruit TJ Bollers declared his commitment to the University of Wisconsin football team Thursday, June 11. Bollers chose the Badgers over various prestigious programs including Alabama, Michigan, Florida, Notre Dame and Penn State.
The 6-foot-3-inch, 250-pound edge rusher is the fifth 4-star commit in Wisconsin’s 2021 recruiting class, tying the school record for most 4-star recruits set just last season.
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Over the past three years, Wisconsin has excelled at bringing top prospects to Madison. In each of the past three seasons, the Badgers have snatched a top-30 recruiting class, and Bollers’ decision lifted this year’s class ranking to No. 12 nationally, according to 247Sports.
Bollers is the second highest-ranked player in the Badgers’ class behind offensive tackle JP Benzschawel.
A three-sport athlete from Clear Creek Amana High School in Tiffin, Iowa, Bollers’ foot speed and ball skills are great attributes that translate well to the outside linebacker position. Bollers’ speed was on display in last January’s National Combine in San Antonio where the Wisconsin commit ran an impressive 4.62 shuttle time.
Along with his nimble foot speed, Bollers excels at being violent with his hands and is very comfortable in space. In a 2018 evaluation by 247Sports, national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu values Bollers as a prospect that “could work his way into the later rounds of the NFL draft when his college career is finished.”
Bollers is a three-year letter winner, and though he was recruited as a defensive end, Bollers was also a force in the red zone at tight end. In Bollers, the Badgers add another highly ranked edge rusher in succession to past stars such as T.J. Watt and Zack Baun.
In his commitment video, Bollers stated the university’s recent success on the field wasn’t the lone factor in his decision. Another factor that played into his commitment is Wisconsin’s top-ranked engineering program. Per Rivals, Bollers prioritizes both being a student and an athlete and is interested in taking advantage of the networking opportunities the team provides within the engineering program.
As Wisconsin continues to compete for Big Ten championships year in and year out, the recent success of past recruiting classes will help the Badgers contend on the field and potentially make their first College Football Playoff appearance in the years to come.
