Wisconsin football recruiting: QB Myles Burkett jumpstarts the 2022 class

The Wisconsin Badgers received huge news on the recruiting front Saturday afternoon, as 3-star in-state quarterback Myles Burkett (Franklin) opted to stay home to play for the Paul Chryst.

The 6-foot-2 quarterback from Franklin High School in Milwaukee recently earned the offer from the Badgers, and quickly committed over other offers from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Miami of Ohio and Northern Illinois. He was also receiving interest from Iowa, Iowa State, Louisville, Michigan, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Syracuse, and Washington as well.

Wisconsin traditionally relies on in-person evaluations at the quarterback spot, but with recruiting stipulations shaking up the 2022 cycle, the Badgers chose to pull the trigger and offer the in-state product without being able to see him throw in person as frequently as they would have liked. Add in that quarterbacks coach Jon Budmayr recently left for Colorado State, and the choice to go with Burkett makes a ton of sense given the uncertainty surrounding recruiting the position this off-season.

Considered a dual-threat quarterback because of what he can do with his arm and his legs, Burkett put together a strong junior campaign this past fall with over 1200 passing yards and 11 touchdowns on 64% passing, as well as 207 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground in only five games played due to the pandemic.

The state of Wisconsin rarely produces high caliber quarterback prospects, making this an exciting opportunity for Burkett. In fact, Burkett is only the second in-state quarterback commit for the Badgers (Danny Vanden Boom in 2017) since Tyler Donovan back in 2003, a player that compares favorably to Burkett given their size and style of play are fairly similar.

Listed as a low three-star by Rivals, and a fairly high three-star by 247Sports, Burkett is a talented athlete that should add a different dimension to the quarterback room. According to his HUDL profile, he reports a 4.6 forty-yard dash time, which should help him differentiate himself. Graham Mertz and Deacon Hill are both more traditional pocket passers, while Burkett and current quarterback Chase Wolf each have more mobility.

With Burkett now committed, not only does that likely settle the quarterback position, but he should be a strong ambassador for the class and be an active recruiter for the staff. He has a strong relationship with many of the other top in-state talent, and that could pay dividends down the road. Looking back at the successes of the 2019 and 2021 classes, having an early start on the class with a quarterback to lead the charge seemed to payoff.

Maybe this commitment gets the ball rolling for the Badgers on the trail for 2022 with an uncharacteristically high number of four-star prospects within the state for the class. Expect Burkett to be heavily in pursuit of Joe Brunner, Carson Hinzman, Billy Schrauth, and Isaac Hamm in the coming weeks and months. I would also imagine that this increases the chances that Wisconsin could get back into things for Jerry Cross (another Milwaukee native) as well despite his early pledge to Penn State.

While Myle Burkett is the first commit in the 2022 cycle (Braelon Allen reclassified to sign for 2021), this could be just the beginning in what is expected to be another strong recruiting class for the Badgers.