Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst sat down with the media on National Signing Day to discuss the Badgers 2015 recruiting class, one that came with serious drama after the departure of Gary Andersen.
Nonetheless, Wisconsin was able to land some major recruits, especially in the quarterback department. One of the biggest recruiting storylines after Andersen left was Austin Kafentzis, a 6-foot, 200-pound quarterback out of Sandy, Utah. Kafentzis was one of Andersen’s most prized recruits and considered switching his commitment to Oregon State, before reaffirming with the Badgers.
In addition, Chryst’s staff locked up lefty quarterback Alex Hornibrook out of Malvern, Pa. Hornibrook followed Chryst, decommitting from Pittsburgh Jan. 12. With the addition of these two freshmen, Wisconsin’s quarterback situation becomes even more complicated with returners Joel Stave, Tanner McEvoy, Bart Houston and DJ Gillins.
“If we’re gonna be stacked at one spot, I kinda like it being at the quarterback,” Chryst said. “Alex and Austin on tape I think have different strengths and weaknesses.”
Chryst went on to talk about his relief with being done with the recruiting process and getting back to football.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Chryst said. “That’s the one thing I’m probably looking most forward to is just getting with our players and being able to spend some time off the road and deal with the quarterbacks.”
Kafentzis enrolled early along with Hornibrook, and both have worked out with the team and spent time with the coaching staff. While Kafentzis did say that he considered following Andersen to Oregon State, he talked about why he ended up choosing Wisconsin.
“Every time I came out here I just fell more in love with it. I felt like this was the place to be,” Kafentzis said. “The atmosphere, the people going to all the games, it just all came together.”
Hornibrook also discussed his excitement about being a Badger and a quarterback in the Big Ten.
“I’ve always grown up watching Big Ten football. It’s a great conference and a lot of people in my area play in the Big Ten,” Hornibrook said. “I had a feeling it’d be great to play here.”
Another early enrollee is 6-foot-5 offensive lineman Jon Dietzen out of Seymour, Wis. Chryst praised Dietzen’s ability and also talked about the benefits of him enrolling early and learning from some of the experienced linemen.
“I love the way that he plays. He’s got a mean streak that you like. He’s got good athleticism and good size,” Chryst said.
Wisconsin will also welcome two stud running backs from the south, Jordan Stevenson and Bradrick Shaw. Stevenson, a four-star recruit out of Dallas, Texas, flipped his commitment from Texas to Wisconsin in December. Shaw is a three-star recruit from Birmingham, Ala, and committed to Wisconsin after several SEC schools, including Alabama, showed interest.
The last major Badger recruit to officially decide to come to Wisconsin was 6-foot-2 safety Arrington Farrar from Atlanta, Georgia. Farrar also received offers from Notre Dame, but ultimately chose Wisconsin on National Signing Day.
Chryst dealt with an extremely short and stressful period of recruiting, attempting to hold on to Andersen’s committed players, while also continuing to pursue those that were undecided. Despite the challenges, he expressed his pleasure with the 2015 recruiting class.
“If we weren’t excited about each and every one of these kids, then we’re making a mistake,” Chryst said. “So we’re excited as a program to be adding these young men to our team, to our football family.”
