Take Two: How dominant will Wisconsin's OL be in the future?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a hot topic in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.
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THE STORYLINE
Wisconsin has one of the best lines in college football and it’s basically built on one four-star coming out of high school and a bunch of three-stars.
Still, the Wisconsin coaching staff could be the best in the country at developing offensive linemen from high school projects or underrated recruits to outstanding players who have real shots at making the NFL.
So what happens when Wisconsin adds a commitment such as 2020 four-star Trey Wedig from Wales (Wisc.) Kettle Moraine, who is already considered one of the top offensive tackles in his class? The 6-foot-7, 302-pound four-star rated No. 10 at his position and has a chance to move even higher.
In Rivals.com’s history dating back to 2002, only two recruits who picked the Badgers were rated higher than Wedig – four-star Logan Brown in this recruiting class and five-star Josh Oglesby in the 2007 class.
Wedig had offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, USC and others. He turned them all down to play for the Badgers.
How huge could his addition be in the coming years?
FIRST TAKE: JOSH HELMHOLDT, MIDWEST RECRUITING ANALYST
“Wisconsin does not have the advantage of a deep talent pool in its backyard, so when prospects such as Wedig come along it is imperative that they lock him up. Getting that done early in the process is a big win for Paul Chryst and staff, and gives them a strong base to recruit from going forward. Their running back tradition already attracts top ball carriers from across the country, now they get to pair it with the selling point of running behind Rivals100 offensive tackle additions in back-to-back classes.
"While 2018 four-star Logan Brown is likely a left tackle at the next level, Wedig has the potential to play either side and gives the Badgers elite bookends for future offensive lines. Wedig is big and strong and plays the position with passion, which sounds exactly like you would expect from a Wisconsin offensive lineman. Individually he is a great addition, but collectively this is setting up to be an offensive line for the ages in a couple years.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR
“Wisconsin can take highly-rated guys like Joe Thomas and turn them into great players as well, as long as they stay healthy. It doesn’t always have to be the three-stars or guys like Robby Havenstein, who was a 360-pound guy in high school and needed a lot of work but had potential.
"If Wisconsin gets somebody who is already talented, who already has the ability, that program is going to make him even better. I full expect Wedig to be, if he stays healthy, just another great lineman at Wisconsin. Just watching what the Badgers do every week with that offensive line is kind of fun if you’re in the trenches.”
