Even with a new coach at the helm, the Wisconsin Badgers football program put forth another successful National Signing Day with one of their best classes ever.
With the departure of Bret Bielema to Arkansas, the Badgers thoughtfully hired Gary Andersen and made recruiting the first priority of the new regime.
The 2013 class is headlined by four-star running back Corey Clement and JUCO transfer quarterback Tanner McEvoy.
Here are the notable signees (four-star recruits) who hope they can play a part in the Badgers returning to the Rose Bowl for a fourth year in a row.
DB Keelon Brookins (pictured above)
– 5’11”, 185 lb
– St. Paul, Minnesota (Tartan)
Reputation: Four-star recruit by Rivals … rated as three-star recruit by ESPN and Scout … ranked No. 32 cornerback in the nation by Rivals, No. 58 by Scout and No. 74 by ESPN … rated the No. 2 recruit in state of Minnesota by Rivals
Andersen Quote: “Keelon is still rehabbing through his knee. He’s not full speed and will still be somewhat limited in spring although he’ll want to go. We’ll just definitely stay off on that a little bit and let him continue to rehab and get better before we turn him loose.”
RB Corey Clement
– 5’11”, 210 lb
– Glassboro, New Jersey (Glassboro)
Reputation: Four-star recruit according to ESPN, Rivals and Scout … rated as the No. 14 running back according to ESPN, No. 17 by Rivals, and No. 31 by Scout … ESPN Top 150 recruit … ranked as the No. 5 prospect from state of New Jersey according to ESPN, No. 8 by Rivals
Andersen Quote: “One of the best things I can say about Corey as a running back is in the first quarter he’s good, in the fourth quarter he has the ability to kind of really take over.”
LB Garrett Dooley
– 6’2″, 215 lb
– Rochester, Illinois (Rochester)
Reputation: Four-star recruit according to ESPN … rated three stars by Rivals and Scout … rated as the No. 18 inside linebacker according to ESPN, No. 22 by Scouts and No. 25 by Rivals … ranked as the No. 11 recruit in the state of Illinois by ESPN, No. 17 by Rivals
DL Alec James
– 6’4″, 220 lb
– Brookfield, Wisconsin (East)
Reputation: Four-star recruit according to ESPN … rated three stars by Rivals and Scout … No. 29 defensive end as rated by ESPN, No. 64 by Scout … ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the state of Wisconsin according to ESPN, No. 2 according to Rivals
Andersen Quote: “He’s a very talented young man. As big as he is, as tall as he is, as physical as he is, and the way he runs is very, very impressive. He’s going to be on track team, and he’ll probably run the 400, the 4×100 or whatever it is in track. He’s a very talented young man.”
OL Jackson Keeler
– 6’7″, 290 lb
– Barrington, Illinois (Barrington)
Reputation: Four-star recruit according to ESPN … rated three stars by Rivals and Scout … ranked as the No. 29 offensive tackle by ESPN, No. 39 by Rivals, No. 49 by Scout … rated as the No. 10 recruit in the state of Illinois by ESPN, No. 11 by Rivals
DL Chikwe Obasih
– 6’2″, 235 lb
– Brookfield, Wisconsin (Central)
Reputation: Four-star recruit according to Rivals … rated three stars by ESPN and Scout … ranked as the No. 45 defensive end by Scout, No. 46 by ESPN … rated the No. 1 recruit in the state of Wisconsin by Rivals, No. 2 by ESPN
Andersen Quote: “It’s great to have Alec and Chikwe in that spot to be able to build two freshmen defensive ends. The good thing about both those young men, speaking of Alec and of Chikwe in the same note, they’re both athletic enough to be able to get involved into the zone blitz scheme.”
DB Soujourn Shelton
– 5’9″, 175 lb
– Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (Plantation)
Reputation: Four-star recruit according to ESPN … rated as three-star recruit by Rivals and Scout … ranked No. 26 cornerback in the nation by ESPN, No. 47 by Rivals and No. 76 by Scout
Andersen Quote: “Sojourn has gained eight pounds since he’s been here. He told me he carries food around with him. We’re trying to get the weight on him. He’s done a good job of adjusting to school as well.”
WR Robert Wheelwright
– 6’1″, 179 lb
– Columbus, Ohio (Walnut Ridge)
Reputation: Four-star recruit according to Scout … rated three stars by ESPN and Rivals … ranked as the No. 28 wide receiver according to Scout, No. 49 by Rivals, No. 70 by ESPN … rated as the No. 21 recruit in the state of Ohio by Scout, No. 30 by ESPN
Andersen’s Quote: “Hate to single out a young man and say he’s going to come in and help out right away. He’ll be given that opportunity. We’ll see how he handles that.”
More information and the rest of the recruits can be found at the UWBadgers official website.
What did you think of Andersen’s first recruiting class? Let me know by commenting below
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice and pretend to be a Golf expert from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best. If social media is not your thing, shoot him an email at grays@uwalumni.com.
*Images obtained from twincities.com.