With the return of Paul Chryst, a renewed emphasis was placed on in-state recruiting for the Wisconsin Badgers. That was obvious with the 2015 and just completed 2016 recruiting classes.
However, unlike those two classes the 2017 class will have a total lockdown on the in-state products. That’s because 4-star offensive tackle Tyler Beach of Port Washington, Wis. announced his commitment to the Badgers on Sunday afternoon.
— Tyler Beach (@Tyler_Beach_) April 3, 2016
Beach had his last unofficial visit this past Thursday in Madison, and following some reflection decided to make the commitment to Chryst and the Badgers.
He became the fifth and final piece of the in-state puzzle for the Badgers who now have verbal pledges from each of the top five players in the state and the only players offered in Wisconsin this recruiting cycle.
It’s a far cry from previous years, as UW lost out on Ben Bredeson last recruiting cycle and missed out on the No. 2 and 3-ranked players in the class of 2015 (QB James Morgan and DT Robert Windsor).
What happened in this class is a truly big statement for a program that needed to reverse some serious negative vibes coming from the leadership of Gary Andersen. From losing out on top in-state talent to having swept all the verbal pledges for the top talent in the state in just two recruiting cycles may be the biggest story of this offseason for head coach Paul Chryst.
It also shows that Chryst has the chops many were worried about when he returned to the Badgers program.
As for Beach’s recruitment, this pledge also speaks volumes to UW’s abilities to go toe-to-toe with the big boys.
Michigan and Notre Dame had previously made huge impressions on the 6-8, 270-pound tackle, but his comfort level with the coaching staff and the program as a whole won him over.
“It just felt right,” Beach told our recruiting partners at Badger247.
“The coaching staff is my favorite. The academics are incredible and the city of Madison is beautiful.”
The Badgers picked up commitment No. 8 overall with Beach’s pledge, and joins fellow offensive lineman Kayden Lyles as the only 4-star commitments in this class.
Most impressively, the Badgers class now ranks No. 15 nationally after Beach’s verbal pledge. UW is still No. 5 in the Big Ten rankings, but are closing in on the No. 4 position held by the Iowa Hawkeyes.
It also continued a great two weeks for the Badgers on the recruiting trail. The Badgers getting a commitment from Jack Coan a few weeks ago has helped, but its been three commitments in the past week for UW, with Beach joining fellow in-state player Jake Ferguson (ATH) and underrated wide receiver Cade Green in commitments since Thursday.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
