Wisconsin National Signing Day 2015: 5 Takeaways from Badgers' Class
Head coach Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers football team signed a solid recruiting class for the 2015 cycle.
According to 247Sports, the Badgers have the No. 33 class in the country. It also ranks as the No. 4 class in the Big Ten conference.
In total, Wisconsin signed 21 prospects—20 from the high school ranks and one from a junior college. Various roster needs were met throughout the class. It's also a very eclectic one from a geographical standpoint. Chryst and his staff pulled prospects from all across the nation.
This piece will look at five takeaways from the new batch of signees headed to Madison. While this isn't an overly flashy class, it's one that should help build depth moving forward.
A full list of the signees can be found here. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports, unless otherwise noted.
Recruiting Footprint Expanding
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Traditionally, Wisconsin builds its recruiting class primarily in the Midwest region—along with sprinkling in players from the Northeast and Southeast.
In 2015, Chryst and his staff racked up the frequent flier miles considerably.
The Badgers signed prospects from 10 states, including Georgia, California, Utah, Florida, Texas and Alabama. This development truly speaks to the brand of the university. Wisconsin has consistently played in big bowl games (including three Rose Bowl appearances in the last five years), which had undoubtedly showcased the program to all parts of the country.
Perhaps the most significant signee is tight end Kyle Penniston out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. Penniston is a big-bodied tight end with excellent hands and athleticism.
It would not be a shock to see him—along with his high school teammate and fellow UW signee Olive Sagapolu—contribute early. Inside linebacker Nick Thomas out of Florida, offensive tackle Kevin Estes from California and linebacker/safety Arrington Farrar out of Georgia also fall into this category.
Farrar's overall athleticism and positional versatility give the Badgers a nice option on the defensive side of the ball.
Continue to Emphasize the Running Back Position
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Staying with the theme of national recruiting, the Badgers were able to sign two talented running back prospects in Jordan Stevenson and Bradrick Shaw.
Stevenson hails from the state of Texas, while Shaw heads north from Alabama. Both backs have skill sets that complement each other quite well.
Stevenson is the smaller of the two. His game is predicated primarily upon speed and quickness. Staying true to the prototypical Wisconsin back, Shaw is more in the mold of a physical player with a downhill running style.
This potential thunder-and-lightning combination fortifies the Wisconsin running back position for years to come.
The Coaching Change Led to Considerable Turnover on Defense
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With any coaching change, there will be turnover in regards to recruiting. A player previously committed might not fit into the plans of the new coach from a schematic or personality standpoint.
This aspect of the recruiting process did hit Wisconsin relatively hard—particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
The Badgers lost commitments from a wide receiver (Brandyn Lee), two cornerbacks (Takadrae Williams, X'zaviae Ausbourne), a defensive end (Nate Howard), a defensive tackle (Elu Aydon) and two linebackers (Dominic Sheppard, Jordan Griffin).
Howard and Griffin appear to be the most impactful losses. Howard is an explosive pass-rusher off the edge with the ability to get after the quarterback.
Griffin might've been Wisconsin's most underrated commitment at the time. The Florida native has terrific quickness and sideline-to-sideline ability. He ultimately decommitted from Wisconsin earlier Wednesday morning in favor of signing with Vanderbilt.
The losses of Griffin and Howard in particular rob Wisconsin's defense from inheriting considerable speed and athleticism. With many teams integrating more of an uptempo feel offensively, these two prospects would've been tremendous additions.
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The Quarterback Position Going Forward Will Be Fascinating
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Wisconsin brought in two quarterbacks for the 2015 class—Austin Kafentzis and Alex Hornibrook. This dynamic includes a fascinating subplot.
Kafentzis committed to Wisconsin under former head coach Gary Andersen. When Chryst took over, Hornibrook followed him to Madison from Pitt. Kafentzis is a dual-threat quarterback with excellent mobility and athleticism. Dissimilarly, Hornibrook is a classic dropback signal-caller.
It really will come down to the style of play Chryst implements. Anderson had transitioned Wisconsin's offense to include some spread principles—which caters to Kafentzis' strengths as a player.
Chryst will likely focus on a heavy ground game coupled with a play-action attack. This, in theory, should bode well for Hornibrook.
Regardless, Wisconsin did well to replenish depth at quarterback.
Lack of Dynamic Playmakers at Wide Receiver
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One weakness plaguing Wisconsin's offense in recent memory has been the lack of playmakers on the perimeter. There really haven't been many players on the roster with the ability to stretch the field vertically and hurt opposing defenses over the top.
This problem surely needed to be addressed in the 2015 class. Unfortunately for the Badgers, it appears as if they fell short in this area.
The Badgers did sign one receiver in Florida native Andrew James. The Westminster Academy product does possess decent speed and quickness. However, he presently has a very slight frame. He'll need to put on considerable weight and strength before being able to contribute on the collegiate level.
Again, building depth (and finding speed) within the wide receiver corps should be a focus going forward as Wisconsin transitions to the 2016 class.
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