In a matter of days, UW's 2010 commitment list has doubled. Defensive end Jake Irwin and offensive tackle Dallas Lewallen have verbally committed to become Badgers. Now I recently wrote about how ecstatic Badger fans would be to see the commitment of Frank Tamakloe, a four-star, big-name prospect, but these new commits won't garner nearly as much immediate excitement. In fact, these commitments might have some fans scratching their heads.

The five-star players rarely commit to UW, but the in-state, under-the-radar types, are never in short supply. Irwin and Lewallen are both from Wisconsin and they both have zero offers from any other division one schools. That's right, zero scholarship offers. Both prospects came to UW's high school camp, picked up their first offer, and decided to commit pretty much on the spot.

Now this type of recruiting news is what Badger fans are used to, and this is what confuses a lot of fans. But it is this exact recruiting strategy that keeps UW successful without bringing in the top-flight guys.

According to reports, Irwin came to camp and just dominated. The 6-foot 4-inch, 255-pound prospect was apparently unblockable at defensive end and the coaches were impressed. The other commit, Dallas Lewallen, is about as under-the-radar as you can possibly get. He didn't even make a highlight tape to send to coaches. The Badger staff only knew of him from the camp he attended last summer. Again, Lewallen just performed better than the other offensive linemen and displayed a great frame at 6-foot-6 and 285-pounds. The coaches clearly didn't want to let Lewallen perform at another school's camp, so they locked up a prospect they thought highly of.

These two prospects got barely any exposure and the recruiting web sites had hardly even heard of them, but the coaching staff doesn't base their decisions on these web sites. They bring in these hard-working prospects who develop in the program and turn out to be contributors.

Head coach Bret Bielema could go out and put all his effort into luring some of the top-100 prospects, but realistically those kids are nearly impossible to get. Wisconsin is not going to have a top-ten recruiting class any time soon, so it's the no-name prospects, unknowns like Jack Ikegwuonu, Jonathan Casillas, and Mike Newkirk that make this program competitive (all those guys were thought of as two-star prospects). Irwin and Lewallen are proud to be Badgers and fans should be happy to have them.

They may not get the exposure that would earn them a bunch of scholarship offers, but the coaches see potential and it's the upside these sleepers possess that can make a good recruiting class a great one.

Why can't we get more four and five star recruits? You'll hear that a lot if you talk to Badger fans about recruiting as recruiting efforts are always a topic for discussion. It's true that UW rarely attracts the top-tier prospects, but as they say, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn sometimes.

To the shock of fans who follow Badger recruiting, Frank Tamakloe, a 6-foot 3-inch safety from Olney MD., recently gave a verbal commitment to the Badger coaching staff. Tamakloe comes from a powerhouse Maryland program that has produced a number of big-time players and he was a heavily sought-after prospect.

Fans will be particularly happy to see that Tamakloe is on ESPN's top 150-watch list and that he has a boatload of offers from prestigious D-1 programs. Some of those schools include West Virginia, Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Maryland. It looks like Tamakloe will be given a four star rating when all is said and done.

Tamakloe has great size, tremendous speed, and a willingness to throw his body around to make tackles. On film, his athletic ability jumps out at you. He chases down receivers and steps up to lower the boom on backs when he reads the run. He flat out attacks from his safety position and that is what you look for from a defensive playmaker.

Now as much as I joke about Wisconsin recruiting, I honestly feel the coaches do a solid job year in and year out. They have built a strong fence around the state of Wisconsin and they always seem to find a way to nab some highly touted prospects from other areas.

Unfortunately for UW, the state of Wisconsin just doesn't produce that many Big Ten caliber football players so the coaches really need to search for interested prospects. For instance, Bret Bielema and his staff have so far only offered scholarships to seven kids from Wisconsin. Texas, on the other hand, already has 19 verbal commitments for the class of 2010, and guess what: all 19 are from the state of Texas. Schools like Texas and Ohio State have probably offered seven scholarships to a single in-state high school, let alone seven throughout the entire state. Such is life.

We all want to see UW reach out to other talent-rich areas of the country and that is why the Tamakloe commitment is so exciting. UW was able to get a big-time commit out of Maryland and hopefully this will be a sign of good things to come for UW coaches who look to recruit on the east coast. UW does not have the luxury of being able to fill a class with kids from their own backyard, so pick-ups like Tamakloe are just huge. Give credit to the coaching staff for bringing in an elite prospect at a position of real need.�

A few days ago the football team released an updated roster that included the incoming freshman and the numbers they will be wearing when they take the field on September 5th. The roster also shows that some veterans have opted for a number switch, so here is a run-down of some new numbers, and some reasons why Badger fans should remember them for the upcoming season.

Jay Valai: No. 2

Valai just can't seem to find a number that he likes. The safety started his career with 26, then switched to 12, and now has decided to take Jonathan Casillas's no. 2. Regardless of all the jersey inconsistencies, one thing is for sure - Valai can flat out hit. He has emerged as a real force for the Wisconsin defense and we will definitely see No. 2 step up and make some bone-jarring hits this season.

Blake Sorensen: No. 9

In the first two names I've mentioned we have seen two multi-year starters pass down their numbers. First it was Casillas, and now Travis Beckum, whose number 9 will now be worn by Blake Sorensen. Sorensen, a junior who added around 15 pounds in the off-season, will likely be named a starter at outside linebacker. That No. 9 served Beckum pretty well, so hopefully Sorensen will emerge as a playmaker on the other side of the ball.

Montee Ball: No. 31

Not to put too much pressure on the incoming 4-star freshman, but Montee Ball looks to be the next big-time Badger running back. John Clay is ready to carry the team and he is going to get the majority of the work for the next couple seasons, but Ball could take a couple carries here and there. He set all kinds of Missouri high school rushing records (the guy ran for over 8,000 yards and had an outstanding 8.26 yards per carry average) and he has enough raw talent to see the field as a freshman.

Kraig Appleton: No. 81

Quite honestly, there is not one recruit in the past three years that has gotten me more excited than Kraig Appleton. He is exactly what the Badgers have struggled to find, as he is a highly regarded prospect who brings great size and athleticism to the wide receiver position. UW does appear to have some good depth at WR this year, but don't be at all surprised if we see No. 81 stretching the field in 09.

J.J. Watt: No. 99

Last year's scout team defensive player of the year will now have a bigger role and a bigger number to go along with it. Watt, a transfer from Central Michigan who wore no. 87 last year, has climbed his way up the depth chart and will start at defensive tackle for UW. Watt has continued to add weight but has kept his athleticism which allows him to play both DE and DT. With the departures of Newkirk and Chapman, Watt's progression will be even more critical to UW's success, and it will be his job to wreak havoc in the opponent's backfield.

Summer workouts have just begun and Dustin Sherer and Curt Phillips are set to continue their battle for the starting quarterback position. While the team is welcomed back from a nice break, the UW coaching staff will be welcoming a brand new quarterback to the program.

Nate Tice, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Central Florida, has decided to become a walk-on for the Badgers. You NFL fans out there (particularly those in Minnesota) should recognize the name Tice, as Nate is the son of former Vikings head coach Mike Tice. Nate Tice was a 2-star prospect when he was brought in by UCF and he decided to leave the program when he fell in the depth chart and a position change was suggested.

Unfortunately for Nate there is not much room here at UW for more QBs. Curt Phillips is in just his second year and Jon Budmayr (a highly touted prospect) is about to begin his first season as a Badger. Tice is pretty athletic - he ran a 4.8 forty - and he might be able to make an impact at another position if he is up for it.

Since Tice is coming in as a walk-on, this is a great no-risk pickup for the Badgers. Head coach Bret Bielema got some more depth at the QB position without using a scholarship and he found a quick replacement for James Stallons -- a struggling QB who has left the program.