Get to know the Wisconsin Badgers' 2021 football recruiting class

COLTEN BARTHOLOMEW cbartholomew@madison.com
Jul 30, 2020
Jul 30, 2020 Updated 51 min ago

Our Wisconsin State Journal team offers a closer look at the athletes that have committed to playing football at the University of Wisconsin beginning in the 2021 season.

With 15 commitments, the Badgers' class ranks No. 11 nationally on 247Sports and No. 12 on Rivals.

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DARRYL PETERSON

Peterson, a three-star outside linebacker/defensive end from Akron, Ohio, committed to UW on June 1, 2020.

He was one of the Badgers’ top targets on defense since the spring of 2019. He tallied 21 sacks in his junior season at Archbishop Hoban, and chose the Badgers over offers from Alabama, Michigan, West Virginia and more.

247Sports, Rivals and ESPN all rate Peterson — a 6-foot-3, 235-pounder — as a three-star prospect. He’s the first linebacker in the 2021 class.

All Glory to the man above!!! #Committed pic.twitter.com/42LDCywEMm
— Darryl Peterson (@_DPETERSON10) June 1, 2020

MIKE JARVIS

Mike Jarvis, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound lineman out of Medford, N.J., announced his commitment to the Badgers on June 3, 2020.

A three-star prospect on 247Sports and a two-star per Rivals, Jarvis has potential to play as a defensive or offensive lineman, although he’s been primarily recruited for his ability on defense.

Jarvis picked UW over scholarship offers from Duke, Florida State, Indiana, Nebraska, Princeton, Rutgers and others.

#COMMITTED @SHSrenegadesFB @GridIronAccess1 pic.twitter.com/p0xxeueen8
— Mike_jarvis (@mjarvis42) June 3, 2020

TJ BOLLERS

Outside linebacker/defensive end TJ Bollers added to a hot recruiting streak for the Badgers when he committed in June 2020.

Rated a four-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals, Bollers held offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State and most of the Big Ten. He narrowed his choices to Alabama, California, Iowa State, Nebraska, Northwestern and UW before making his decision..

Bollers — listed at 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds — is ranked the 98th overall recruit in the country by Rivals, 147th by 247Sports and 200th by ESPN.

COMMITTED‼‼
Glory to the man above!! pic.twitter.com/ypUpBIoeLg
— TJ Bollers (@tj35ballin) June 11, 2020

RICARDO HALLMAN

Hallman, a 6-foot cornerback out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., tweeted his commitment to the Badgers in late June 2020.

Hallman, ranked a four-star prospect by Rivals and a three-star by 247Sports and ESPN, had offers from at least 16 Football Bowl Subdivision programs, including Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Miami, Florida and Florida State.

UW defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard was a key piece to Hallman choosing the Badgers. Hallman has said in multiple interviews that he and Leonhard spoke often and that Leonhard was the kind of coach he wanted to play for. Leonhard was also key in UW landing another 2021 prospect out of Florida, linebacker Jake Cheney.

Adding Hallman to the fold continues a strong South Florida connection to UW’s secondary — current Badgers’ defensive backs Faion Hicks, Semar Melvin and Rachard Wildgoose are all from that area.