Ranking the Contenders: T.J. Bollers
One of two prospects from the state of Iowa ranked in the Rivals100 for the 2021 class, defensive end T.J. Bollers released his top six schools on April 7. His father’s alma mater, the University of Iowa, did not make the cut, but Alabama, California, Iowa State, Nebraska, Northwestern and Wisconsin did. Bollers still has three official visits scheduled in the month of June, and would like to make a decision before his senior year.
Here's how the contenders for his commitment stack up.
MORE: The 12 biggest spring commitments from the Midwest
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
1. Wisconsin
The team to beat in Bollers’ recruitment certainly seems to be Wisconsin at this time. Since he first visited Madison for a camp last summer, Bollers has had a strong affinity for the Badgers' program. When Bollers talks about academics being a strong factor in his decision, he is not paying lip service. He lists his GPA (3.9) in his Twitter bio and plans to major in Engineering. Wisconsin has an outstanding Engineering program, and that will make a difference in the end.
2. Iowa State
If this recruitment comes down to which school recruits Bollers the hardest, here’s betting the winner will be Iowa State. From the very beginning, Matt Campbell’s staff has made Bollers a priority in their 2021 class and that relationship may be the strongest among his final six contenders. This past winter, Campbell and seven assistant coaches, including the entire defensive staff, came out to see Bollers and his Clear Creek-Amana basketball team play a game. That level of attention has earned the Cyclones a high spot among Bollers’ top contenders.
3. Nebraska
Nebraska was one of Bollers’ first four offers and his repeated visits to Lincoln reflect his high level of interest in the Cornhuskers. Additionally, Nebraska was doing virtual visits with Bollers long before the current coronavirus crisis shut down in-person visits. It is obvious Bollers has responded favorably to Scott Frost’s future plans for the Nebraska program and likes his role in that rebuilding. However, the academic opportunities, specifically as it relates to his desired major of Engineering, drop the Cornhuskers behind the top two schools on this list.
4. Alabama
Alabama did not come into Bollers’ recruitment early. The Crimson Tide only offered the Iowa four-star in February, but they shot up Bollers’ list of top contenders in large part because of how they have recruited him during this visit shutdown. Nick Saban and his staff were doing Zoom meetings with Bollers from the very beginning of this current dead period, and that effort has not gone unnoticed. The drawback here is that Alabama is the only school in his top six that Bollers has not visited.
5. California
It is easy to see the appeal of the Cal Bears for an academically-minded prospect like Bollers. The coaching staff did a good job of making an early connection as well, and Justin Wilcox was able to get Bollers and his family on campus early in the process. In fact, they visited both Stanford and Cal on that West Coast trip last spring. Stanford did not make Bollers final six, but Cal did. The dynamic of a Midwest kid going to Berkeley, though, does not seem as likely as some of the other contenders on this list.
6. Northwestern
On paper there is a lot that makes sense for Bollers at Northwestern. The strong academic reputation is certainly a contributing, if not the primary, factor the Wildcats made his top six. It also is a reasonable distance from home and easy for his family to see games. There has just been something about Northwestern, though, that does not seem to click for Bollers. Many recruitments come down to a gut feel, and I just have a hard time seeing Bollers select Northwestern over his other finalists.