The star ranking system hasn't always been around, an early 2000s idea to help fans track recruiting. Thus, it's relatively unfair to say that these rankings are the best recruits Wisconsin has ever gotten out of high school; anyone with half a brain knows that isn't true. However, there was no such thing as stars before it, and the nature of this ranking is all the 5-stars in Wisconsin history. According to 24/7 Sports, there have only been five.
Wisconsin isn't known for 5-star players and typically doesn't do as well with them. The Badgers are known for developing 3-stars into monsters, especially in the trenches. However, there are a handful of players who came to Wisconsin with all the hype in the world.
Let's re-rank them according to how good they were for Wisconsin (and beyond).
1. Anttaj Hawthorne - DL
Hawthorne is the clear top 5-star recruit in Wisconsin history, as he is one of the few who lived up to the billing. He was a star defensive lineman for the Badgers who ended up going on to be a 6th round pick for the Oakland Raiders. His NFL career never really got started as injuries and other life complications forced him out of the league. Eventually, landing and playing a ton in the AFL.
For this ranking, he lived up to his 5 stars at Wisconsin with 201 tackles (42 TFLs), 12 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 interception. He received multiple Big Ten selections throughout his career.
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2. Josh Oglesby - OL
Injuries kept him from fully realizing his potential at Wisconsin, but he was still solid with multiple years as a starter and eventually ended up in the NFL. Similar to Hawthorne, though, he never could get a career going there. He's now a coach at the University of Arizona.
At Wisconsin, he received 2011 All-Big Ten First Team honors and was part of two different Rose Bowl offensive line units.
3. Justin Ostrowski - OL
Ostrowski is a player who could simply never get away from his injuries. Eventually, injuries would completely remove him from the game while at Wisconsin. Head coach Bret Bielema at the time had to release a statement that read, "'An unfortunate side to the game of football is the chance of injury,' Bielema said. 'Based on the advice Justin got from his doctors, he decided it would be best if he stopped playing. Justin will remain on scholarship, and I've invited him to remain as much a part of our program as he is comfortable with."
He would only play in 18 total games with 11 tackles and one sack.
4. Logan Brown - OL
You can make a clear argument for Brown to be higher on this list than Ostrowski because of where his career went after Wisconsin. He ended up transferring to Kansas and has bounced around NFL practice squads. He was solid for the Jayhawks, but he was a bust for Wisconsin. He only started in three games before moving on.
5. Nolan Rucci - OL
Couldn't find a way into the starting lineup for the Badgers, transferred to Penn State. Did okay for the Nittany Lions but nothing amazing, and is still trying to make a professional career as he just signed a UDFA with the Indianapolis Colts this last season. Once again, for Wisconsin, he was a bust but found a groove elsewhere and thus could rank a little higher depending on what evaluation you want to use.
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