One of the more stressful days of Bret Bielema's life is over. In the midst of trying to fill his staff and step into the impossible-to-fill shoes of Barry Alvarez, the new UW football head coach spent much of the last month working up to Wednesday: signing day for high school seniors. Although having to replace such names as Brandon Williams, Donovan Raiola and Brian Calhoun is not easy, Bielema seems satisfied with his 23 signings.
Offensive Line
'Beginning in the fall when we made this transition, I knew there were three areas we needed to focus on in this recruiting class, the first being the offensive line,' Bielema said. 'That was probably our major emphasis; it was something that I wanted to make sure wasn't being lost in the recruiting process.'
The offensive line has always been a key for the Badgers, and with the losses of Raiola, Matt Lawrence and Jason Palermo, along with the health of Joe Thomas in question, recruiting became more important than ever. The top big man snagged by Bielema has to be Jake Bscherer, a 6'7', 285 pound tackle from Sturgeon Bay, Wis. Ranked the top recruit in Wisconsin by Rivals.com, Bscherer should be a good fit in Madison, especially since the team had trouble with defensive ends at times last season (see Penn State game).
'[Bscherer] idolizes Joe Thomas, and looks like him at certain times,' Bielema said. 'He's a guy we're expecting to come in and do great things.'
Bscherer was not the only OL find in the class of '06. Other signings included Gabe Carimi, a 6'8' tackle from Cottage Grove, Wis.; Bill Nagy, an Ohio native that will fit in well with Wisconsin's tendency to pull lineman; John Moffitt, a New Englander who can play both ways, and Brad Thorson, whose last-minute switch from the University of Minnesota to Wisconsin should delight Badger fans everywhere.
'[That will] probably spice up the rivalry a bit,' Bielema said.
Lance Smith
One of the biggest questions in the offseason is who they will be blocking for with Brian Calhoun gone and Booker Stanley's status in question. Enter Lance Smith, a human highlight reel and the highest ranked recruit that Wisconsin nabbed. The only true running back the Badgers signed, he has all the skills of Brian Calhoun and the potential to erase the thinking of what might have been had Calhoun stayed his senior year. In his last two years of high school, Smith had 3600 yards rushing and 38 touchdowns, numbers reminiscent of No. 2's one season in Madison.
'You'll get dizzy watching him,' Bielema said. 'He has the ability to move a lot of different directions in a short amount of space and also has the ability to finish. I feel confident with his ability to compete from the start.'
Wide Receivers
The quarterback situation is set with senior John Stocco at the helm, but the question lies in who he will throw to, with his top three receivers and two tight ends gone. The answer may come in the presence of Lance Kendricks, a highly touted recruit from Milwaukee. The 6'4' receiver is the total package, as he has breakaway speed, a great vertical leap, the hands to make spectacular catches and the strength to run guys over.
'He's a big athlete that can run,' Bielema said. 'We'll start him at the wide receiver position [and he is] somebody we think that can come in and add a presence early on.'
Other receivers in this class include Daven Jones, who appears to be a shorter version of Jonathan Orr; Isaac Anderson, another Minnesota recruit with speed and special teams abilities and Xavier Harris, who has tremendous hands.
Also catching a few passes will be tight end Mickey Turner, whose size makes him an optimal receiver and blocker. A wild card could be Maurice Moore, a blazing fast quarterback who may see some time at running back and receiver, at least until Stocco departs.
Jamathan Lyle hopes to catch passes, but not those intended for him as he is the top defensive prospect the Badgers attained. Lyle's speed and athleticism should bolster a defense that showed signs of improvement in the Capital One Bowl.
Wide receiver coach Henry Mason, one of Bielema's holdovers from Alvarez's coaching staff, had nothing but praise for the head coach's first recruiting process.
'He brings a passion to the recruiting part of it, and I have the same passion,' Mason said. 'I like that about him. I like that he's a guy that will get his hands dirty a little bit in the recruiting process.'
