Things are looking up for Barry Davis’ wrestling Badgers.

For the past two years, the team has sent eight wrestlers to the NCAA championships. Last year they made waves in the Big Ten, and now Davis and his staff have put together what many are calling the best recruiting class in the program’s history.

The Badgers will add 14 new wrestlers to the roster with seven “blue chip” prospects leading the way. Wrestling monthly magazine W.I.N. ranked the Badger recruiting class as the top in the nation.

“I think they bring a lot of intensity and talent into the room,” Davis said. “That’s going to make everyone else in the room step up because these guys want to compete. That’s what you need, people pushing people.”

The “Super Seven,” as some have come to know them, are Josh and Jordan Crass from Medford, William Seth Garvin from Homewood, Ala., Craig Henning from Chippewa Falls, Dallas Herbst from Winneconne, Kyle Massey from Champlin, Minn., and Zachary Tanelli from Short Hills, N.J.

While many attribute the top ranking to the “Super Seven,” Davis believes sheer numbers and talent make this the greatest recruiting class in Wisconsin history.

“This is the best class we’ve ever had because we have so many kids,” Davis said. “We’ve got seven blue-chip kids coming in and 14 total this year alone. The class with Clum, Gutnik, both Flahertys was a really talented class, but this class has a lot more depth.”

The addition of the state’s top high-school recruits provides an added bonus to this year’s freshman class.

Davis managed to land Josh and Jordan Crass, who held national rankings of third and second, respectively. At the top of the class is Henning, who currently holds the top ranking by Wrestling USA Magazine at 145 pounds.

Most of the recruits will likely redshirt their first year with the possible exceptions of Henning and Massey.

According to Davis, the arrival of so many talented recruits will intensify the atmosphere in the wrestling room. The addition of the Crass brothers and Kyle Massey will also create four sets of brothers on the team.

While most of the attention before the season has been directed at the recruiting class, Davis noted some of the older guys gave up scholarship money to allow more recruits to join the team.

“The older kids gave up money to get these younger kids,” Davis said. “They wanted better training partners and more guys in the room pushing them… that says a lot about the older guys.”