Four questions remaining for Wisconsin's 2023 recruiting class

Will Wisconsin Land a Quarterback?

Like most recruiting classes, the Badgers usually look to add least one quarterback each year. This year Wisconsin has offered five different quarterbacks, none of whom have accepted so far. The Badgers are now down to South Dakota native Lincoln Kienholz.

Kienholz is a three-star quarterback out of Pierre, S.D. At 6-3, 185 pounds, he possess something that most in the quarterback room don’t have: mobility. With great size and speed, Kienholz can get flushed out of the pocket and still find a way to create positive plays. Along with his mobility he also has a talented arm. Kienholz can not only beat you in the air, but on the ground as well.

So where does Wisconsin sit in his recruitment? Kienholz took an official visit to Wisconsin back on the June 3 weekend. Things seem to have gone well, and he even mentioned after the visit that “it was more than he expected.” With visits lined up for North Dakota State, Wyoming and Washington, Kienholz will have a tough choice to make in the near future.

If Kienholz is to go elsewhere, this could put Wisconsin in a difficult spot. The Badgers could look to add a preferred walk-in down the road. To me though Kienholz is a must get. His athleticism is something this quarterback room needs.

Will Wisconsin Grab a Tight End?

Of all the positions, the tight end recruiting group is by far the biggest question. Earlier in the process, Wisconsin looked at players like Arizona native Matthew Klopfenstein and Connecticut native Jackson Carver. Klopfenstein was more interested staying out of the Midwest while Carver was reeling in more and more Power Five offers. Both players committed elsewhere, and Wisconsin went back to square one.

Up next is St. Louis native Zach Ortwerth. Ortwerth plays at the same high school as 2022 commit Chris Brooks, and maybe the connection could convince Ortwerth to head to Madison?

Ortwerth took a visit to Wisconsin back on the June 3 weekend as well. Even though it’s an important recruit for the Badgers to focus on, they are likely losing out to Big Ten foe Iowa. A solid prediction to the Hawkeyes now leaves Wisconsin in a pickle.

Much like the 2022 class, tight end has been a hard group for Wisconsin to receive a commitment from of late. It took the program until early winter to grab a commitment from Monroe native JT Seagreaves (even after a hard summer and fall of trying to land a tight end). Everything is trending in that direction unfortunately, and the Badgers going to need to do some work. They could defer until the 2024 class and may just do so. However, if this bad luck continues, waiting may not be the answer.

Will Touted Four-Star Linebacker Tackett Curtis Commit to Wisconsin?

From the very beginning, Tackett Curtis has been the Badgers' biggest recruitment. A top 100 player out of Many, La., Curtis is one linebacker Wisconsin desperately wants.

Along with his official visit on June 3, Curtis has taken numerous visits to Wisconsin. Clearly Curtis sees what the nation's best defense has to offer. Wisconsin also regularly went down to visit him in his hometown. Even a local restaurant named a sandwich after linebackers coach Bobby April because he’s visited so often.

With that said, Curtis has Wisconsin in his top three schools along with USC and Ohio State. He visited USC officially back on June 10 and will visit Ohio State this upcoming weekend. As of this point, sadly, the Buckeyes seem to have the upper hand. With the relationship between the Curtis family and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, it was going to be difficult to lure the LB away. That doesn’t mean Wisconsin is out of it, but at the moment the signs point to the Buckeyes.

So would losing out on Curtis hurt this class? Yes and no. In the sense of losing an incredible talent in Curtis, that will certainly hurt the most, especially to someone else in the Big Ten. However, Wisconsin has done a great job retooling on defense. They Badgers already added a commitment from Illinois native Tyler Jansey, and adding Curtis would be a huge bonus. Hopefully the Badgers have done enough to sway Curtis away from Columbus to play at Camp Randall instead.

Can Wisconsin Carry the Recruiting Momentum?

As stated at the beginning, the Badgers have been hot of late. In fact, Wisconsin has added five commits in the last two weeks alone and 10 since May 6. More importantly, the Badgers have hit at a high rate for players who have taken official visits.

So where do the Badgers sit on players with open recruitments? Right now Wisconsin has predictions for three players, including three-star OL Joe Crocker, three-star DL Jamel Howard and three-star ATH Kahlil Tate. If Wisconsin is to hit on all three, it would be up to 14 total commits. This doesn’t include players who could still swing for Wisconsin like Kienholz, Curtis and four-star corner Braeden Marshall.

Although things have played out slower initially, this 2023 class is coming together nicely. It’s important to note that you’re not going to hit on every player that comes to visit. However, the Badgers have done a great job in recent months, and it has paid off. If they are able to grab a few more players, this could be once again a very strong recruiting class.

Give credit to former tight ends coach Mickey Turner. Turner was given the recruiting title back in February and has taken on the task following Saeed Khalif’s departure. Turner has been one of Wisconsin’s best recruiters in recent years, and his hard work continues now in an expanded role. With a strong class in 2023, Wisconsin football could be turning a new leaf — hopefully for bigger and better things to come.