Early Signing Day: breaking down Wisconsin football’s class of 2020

National signing day is upon us and Wisconsin football wasted no time getting their guys signed on the dotted line. By 9 a.m. CT this morning, 18 of the 19 players on Wisconsin’s hard commits list had signed their letter of intent to come play in Madison and by 11:30 a.m. CT all of the players had signed.

Currently, the 2020 class ranks No. 25 nationally which is four spots higher than the class of 2019 finished with, according to 247 Sports. In the Big Ten, the Badgers have the 5th highest rated class behind Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and Nebraska. The average rating for the class members is 0.8745. (We will have much more on the class rankings later.)

Headlining the class is a pair of in-state offensive tackles in Trey Wedig of Wales, WI and Jack Nelson of Stoughton. The pair currently stand at 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-7 respectively and rank as the top two players in the state of Wisconsin. Wisconsin also landed the No. 4 ranked player in the state of Wisconsin in Chimere Dike, a wide receiver from Waukesha North as well as the No. 6 ranked player in the form of offensive tackle Ben Barten of Stratford. Two other players joined Wisconsin strong offensive line tradition as well as in state guard Tanor Bortolini joined the group as did Dylan Barrett out of Illinois.

On the defensive side of the football, Wisconsin got a late commitment and sign from four star outside linebacker Kaden Johnson. Johnson is the top rated player in the state of Minnesota and held offers from LSU, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska before ultimately choosing UW.

Catholic Memorial standout Cole Dakovich also joined UW on the defensive side of the football at the outside linebacker position. Dakovich was the third ranked player in the state of Wisconsin and will join the Badgers as one of the six linebackers in the 2020 class.

While Johnson and Dakovich are local prospects from Minnesota and Wisconsin, the other four linebackers are not. Three star linebacker Malik Reed joins the class from Chandler, Ariz. as does Jordan Turner of Farmington, Mich. and Preston Zachman of Cattawissa, Pa. Even further out was four star recruit Nick Herbig who will join the Badgers out of St. Louis High School in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Linebacker was certainly the biggest group in the class, but the defensive line also landed multiple three star prospects to the class. Aaron Witt of Winona, Minn. will join Cade Mcdonald of Hudson and James Thompson Jr. out of Cinncinnati Ohio. Interior line and linebackers seemed to be the focus of the class but the Badgers did sign one defensive back to the group as three star speedster Max Lofy out of Colorado signed with the Badgers as the only defensive back in the groups signees.

Last but certainly not least, the Badgers signed a few pass catchers to the mix at both wide receiver and tight end. Isaac Smith, a 6-foot-3 wideout from Collierville, Tenn. is one of the two wideouts to sign as two star Devin Chandler also joins the group. At tight end, the Badgers only brought on one player, but its a big one. Or should I say Large one? Cam Large out of Dedham, Mass. joins the class of 2020 and brings in a host of talent both as a pass catcher and run blocker, which should fit great in Wisconsin’s system.

Overall, the class of 2020 is a big one. While it may not have the huge names of Logan Brown and Graham Mertz, it has a great selection of quality players at positions that don’t get the praise that they deserve. Wisconsin is known for its ability to get guys in and develop, and as a Badger football fan I would be excited to see the potential of this class as it grows up.