UW Recruiting Insider By Todd McShay:

Well the Badgers sure do have an interesting situation and it may make it hard to recruit for new coach Muzzy Colosimo. However, I think he seems to know what he is doing even though he is new to the college football scene. Although ive looked into who he has contacted and it seems to be pretty solid. They are lookin at several 4* prospects. All of which could make an immediate impact if all works out as planned within the next year. They are losing 15 seniors, but most of the voids that need filled are on defense. They are losing 4 DT's to graduation and have a sophomore who could be drafted after next season. They definitely need to focus on the defensive side of the ball as their QB and RB situations seemed to be filled with RS Jr. Scott Tolzien who is the projected starter at QB and RS So. John Clay, one of the premiere RB's in the Big 10 if not the country. All in all the Badgers recruiting class looks to be promising as long as they play well, recruit well, and make them commit before someone else snatches them up. Stay tuned for the rest of the year for All Access Info on Wisconsin recruiting.

Word has it that coach Muzzy Colosimo has offered scholarships to several players to start off the year. Im not usre what to think of it. Its hard for kids who might not know where they want to go and get a scholarship. I mean ya that definitely sways that school in the right direction but the kids have a lot to think about. We'll see how it plays out from here.

Todd McShay here with some more news on Wisconsins short list of who they really want to sign to their squad next year, and also what they need to do to bring them im. It's wierd cuz ive noticed that they are only recruiting 2 players from their state. They are actually recruiting 6 players from Texas which is a suprise since they have no players from there now.

Well first he's easily the best player on their board though hes not nesessarily important. It is Darius Blair of Texas, hes the #1 rated FS by ESPN and Rivals. Hes also #36 on the ESPN 150. He's a sturdy 5'11 185 lbs. He is also receiving interest from Tex,Neb,LSU,and OSU. Wisc is the only school to offer him thus far.

Next we have Darrick Little also out of Texas. Hes the player that really sticks out because of the need for DT's at Wisconsin. He is a tall 6'4 but a smaller 277lbs. He has been offerd by the Badgers and jusr recently in-state Texas A&m, but also interested in Texas.

Next is G Kerry Morrow. He is out of Ohio and is ranked the 4th best Guard and #39 on the ESPN 150. He is a JuCo recruit so he only has 2 years to make an impact. He has and offer from Wisconsin as well as Louisville. Received interest from Penn State and USC.

Also on the list is Matt Swan also from Texas. He is the #5 ranked ATH and #50 on the ESPN 150. He's 6'1 188lbs, so he'll most likely play RB or some DB. He has offers from Wisconsinm Michigan, and Florida, with interest from Texas as well as Miami, Florida.

Next is Kenny Thomas of Minnesota. He's the #10 OLB. He's 6'1 223lbs. He has good size as well as adequate strength for his age. He has offers from Wisconsina dn Nebraska, with interest from Tenn, Fl. St, and Florida.

Finally is Casey Justice from South Carolina. Hes the #6 ATH, as hes a strong 6'0 249lbs, he'll most likely be a LB or DE. He has offers from Wisconsin, Louisville, and Auburn.

They also have interest in 3 of the best kickers in the country, as do the players for the school. This is good for Coach Muzzy as they are lsoing a kicker after the year is over.

Thats it for now about Wisconsins recruiting news. We'll have more in the upcoming weeks as more information unfolds to us.

Todd McShay here for ESPN and we have some recruiting news out of Madison. The Badgers have just received a verbal committment from Chauncey Howard. He is a 6'6 249lb DT from Colonial Park, PA. He is ranked the #13 DT overall and is a top 200 player under mine and Tom Luginbill's board. He also received an offer from Ohio State with interest from Penn State and Notre Dame.

He stated "They were my favorite from day 1 and after I watched them beat probably the hottest team in the country, I knew that this was the place for me" as the reason for choosing Wisconsin. He said he loved Camp Randall stadium and all the fans that pack into it each and every week. He also noted of Wisconsins tradition rich program. He also said "I would always hear about Coach Colosimo in the papers for his High School team, but when he came to the college level I was skeptical on how he would do. . .but he has proved me wrong as the Badgers are still contenders in the Big 10 after this big win."

For as small as he is at his position he possesses amazing strength and tackling abilities. He also has outstanding block shedding abilities with his trademark powermove that has offensive lineman in PA scared to try and guard him. He has talent but needs work with his finesse moves as well as laying the big hit on the ball carrier.

Overall, I think Chauncey will play a big role as a freshman as the Badgers needed a DT for next year, actually they needed 2 but one of those spots are filled now. Look for more information on Wisconsin in the upcoming weeks as we get into the middle of the season which looks to have a very exciting ending.

Todd McShay here and we have more news out of Madison Wisconsin. The Badgers have just received their second verbal committ for the 2010-2011 season. This week it was Andrew Brady of Frostproof, FL, a 6'1 254lb FB. He is the #57 overall rated FB. He also recieved an offer from Alabama with some interest from South Carolina.

He said "Academics were very important for me and Wisconsins academics are some of the top in the country. As well as the lifestyle on campus, something different is always happening. I also wanted a very stable a program with the chance to win championships and Coach Colosimo and his Badgers offered me the best opporunity to fulfill my needs for the next 4 years of my life."

Ive watched some of his tape and he seems to have very good run and pass blocking skills which are overlooked for FB's in todays game just like the FB position. However, he lacks the awareness and strength of a Division 1 FB. Ive heard from several sources that he plans to enroll early so he can get on the schools weight lifting program and get up to what the school wants him to be.

I also talked to Coach Muzzy and he said "Well the kid has amazing blocking abilities. He has some strength issues but we can easily fix that with our weight program. He could make an impact very soon if he just practices and trains hard."

While this is the Badgers second committment in the last 2 weeks, they still have several needs. With the verbal from DT Chauncey Howard last week and with Brady this week they have 2 less to worry about. They still need to sign 2 more DT to make up the loss of players to graduation to graduation at the end of the year, as well as a kicker as theirs is graduating and probably going to the draft as a kickoff specialist as he has several TB on kickoffs this year. Look for more information on Wisconsins future within the next few weeks as the season starts to shape up as we are in week 9 of the 2009-2010 season and only a few weeks left till Conf. Champ. week. This is Todd McShay with ESPN.

Todd McShay here and i have just heard some more news of Wisconsin. The badgers have recieved 2 soft committs. One is from the #5 ATH Matt Swan who is receiveing interest from some the top programs in the country such as Florida and Texas. But that must mean coach Muzzy is doing something right up there. The other is from #15 MLB Gerald Foster who is receiving interest from some top mid-major teams. Thats all i have for now but as it seems to be the Badgers will have a very solid recruiting class come signing day.

Another installment of Wisconsins recruiting news and I'm your host Todd McShay. The Badgers have received a verbal committment from 2 prospects this week one from Texas the other from Louisiana. First, Matt Swan the #5ATH from Converse, TX. He is 6'1 188lbs. He had several offers from Florida, Miami(FL), Michigan, and Texas. He played mostly running back in high school but has potential to be a above average defensive back. He has very good speed and agility and amazing vision to be able to hit the holes on offense. He has decent coverage abilities but he tends to get beat very often. He claims "I knew I had the ability to go D1, and I wanted to go to a conference that can ultimately lead me to the NFL and coach Muzzy and Wisconsin felt like the best fit."

The other committment came from Gerald Foster out of Poydras, LA. He is rated the #5 MLB and is set at 6'0 236lbs. He also had offers from Ole Miss and USC. He has solid tackling with the ability to lay down the big hit when necessary. He has the strength to be able to push off the blocker and get around to the quarterback. He said "I wanted a team that plays in a big conference with excellent tradition, and you get both of those at Wisconsin. I just happy to be the newest member of Badger Nation!"

Well that about does it here. I'd have to say if things pan out the way coach Muzzy wants to, Wisconsin could have a top 25 recruiting class come signing day especially after these 2 huge committments. With ESPN and the Wisconsin Badgers I'm Todd McShay.

Another installment of Wisconsins recruiting news and I'm your host Todd McShay. The Badgers have received a verbal committment from 2 prospects this week one from Texas the other from Louisiana. First, Matt Swan the #5ATH from Converse, TX. He is 6'1 188lbs. He had several offers from Florida, Miami(FL), Michigan, and Texas. He played mostly running back in high school but has potential to be a above average defensive back. He has very good speed and agility and amazing vision to be able to hit the holes on offense. He has decent coverage abilities but he tends to get beat very often. He claims "I knew I had the ability to go D1, and I wanted to go to a conference that can ultimately lead me to the NFL and coach Muzzy and Wisconsin felt like the best fit." They have gone after this kid from day 1 and i guess he knew they were on the rise.

The other committment came from Gerald Foster out of Poydras, LA. He is rated the #5 MLB and is set at 6'0 236lbs. He also had offers from Ole Miss and USC. He has solid tackling with the ability to lay down the big hit when necessary. He has the strength to be able to push off the blocker and get around to the quarterback. He said "I wanted a team that plays in a big conference with excellent tradition, and you get both of those at Wisconsin. I just happy to be the newest member of Badger Nation!"

Well that about does it here. I'd have to say if things pan out the way coach Muzzy wants to, Wisconsin could have a top 25 recruiting class come signing day especially after these 2 huge committments. With ESPN and the Wisconsin Badgers I'm Todd McShay.

Todd McShay back with the weekly update on Wisconsin's recruiting progress. They have received 2 count em 2 verbal committments this week. One from center and another from a middle linebacker.

The center, Mike Gaston, out of Greensburg , Pa. He played for Muzzy Colosimo at Greensburg Central Catholic so no suprise he committed to Wisconsin. He is rated the #7 Center by ESPN and Scouts Inc. He has great size at 6'0 300lbs. He had offers from Connecticut and Ohio State. Although he claims coach Muzzy being at Wisconsin didnt play in to much with his decision you have to believe that finalized the deal. Mike said that Wisconsins fan base is outstanding and thats the type of atmosphere he wants in college. He also commented on the Big 10 prestige which also helps with his potential to make it to the NFL which he also liked about Wisconsin. He has very good impact blocking abilities. He has good intangibles with the ability to both run and pass block which is a must at the center position. However he could use some work with those abilities. He has very good strength, his bench max is 385lbs which is outstanding. If he performs how he did in high school at the collegiate level he will definitely have a future career after Wisconsin.

Finally but not the last recruit to committ to Wisconsin is Clint Harris out of Evergreen, Al. He is a 6'0 252lb Lb with very good tackling abilities and excellent pursuit of the ballcarrier. He has exceptional strength which gives him the ability to lay the big hit on the ball carrier when he squares up to the carrier. With some work in Madison in the summer this kid has the potential to start on special teams and maybe even a play during some games in his freshman year. But if i were coach Muzzy I would think about redshirting Harris as he doesnt have the best grades and he might need to adjust to the college level in general.

Overall the Badgers have received committments from 6 players overall and i have them at about 26th overall right now but they have several other players who have soft committed and with signing day just around the corner they could pull in several other big recruits.

Todd McShay here and I have received word that Wisconsin has picked up 2 more verbal commitments. Both of which fill up a spot on their needs list. However they still intend to pursue the other players on thier board.

First is Jermaine Scott, a MLB out of Athens, TX. He is rated the #9 overall MLB in this years class. He stands at 6'1 240lbs. Great size for a LB. He also had an offer from Kansas State, with heavy interest from UCLA and Nebraska. He said he loves Wisconsins football tradition. He also stated that he wanted a school with amazing facilities and a place where he can live the next 4 years, and that is Wisconsin. He has great tackling abilities, and just like every other backer headed to wisconsin, he has amazing stregth which leads to big hits. Coach Muzzy said "Even in high school I absolutely loved the kids who lived in the weight room."

Next is Jeremy Benson a DT out of Albertvill, AL. Wisconsins second player out of Alabama, both on the defensive side of the ball. He is listed at 6'5 289lbs. We have him rated as the #25 DT in this class but I consider him a sleeper at his position. He had another offer from Auburn. He stated that Wisconsins facilities, and their stability to stay a good team for years to come were 2 of the main reasons he chose the Badfgers. However, he said the biggest reason was because Coach Muzzy is a coach on the rise after winning a Big 10 title in his first year and that he wanted to be their on his rise to the top. "I want to be one of the cornerstones of this defense in the next 4 years." said Benson. He has great strength and great tackling abilities. But he needs to work on his cardio and get his stamina and agility with the strength and conditioning coach up in Madison cuz at this point he cant be out there for more than 2 plays in a row which is what turned a lot of coaches away from Benson and his skill.

I have Wisconsins class ranked at #25 so far and with National signing day about a month or so away it can only go up. Once that day comes I will give a breakdown of their class and the sleepers and the ones who will give an immediate impact in their first year. But for now I'm Todd McShay for ESPN.