In the five years Paul Chryst has been the head coach at Wisconsin, he’s led the Badgers to two Top 10 finishes, three New Year’s Six Bowls and four Top 25 finishes overall. Few schools have had more on-field success than Wisconsin. The Badgers have also been a presence in the NFL Draft, with 12 players selected over the last three classes and Jonathan Taylor looking like RB1 in 2020.

With all that, Wisconsin’s only top 25 recruiting class of the Chryst era came this past cycle, when the Badgers finished No. 25.

Perhaps it’s the beginning of a trend.

Wisconsin is currently sitting at No. 6 in the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings for the class of 2021, with a haul headlined by three Top247 commits: offensive linemen JP Benzschawel and Riley Mahlman and hard-hitting, rangy safety Hunter Wohler. Linebacker commit Bryan Sanborn is a four-star by 247Sports.

Moving forward, Chryst and company are in the thick of it for guys like Top247 offensive tackle Nolan Rucci and Top247 defensive end TJ Bollers. I don’t think you’ll see the Badgers maintain a top 10 class but this is trending toward being the program’s best in haul of all-time.

The Badgers are one of a handful of teams who, as the calendar turns to March, are punching above their weight class as far as the recruiting rankings are concerned. Let’s take a look at some others.

MARYLAND TERRAPINS

Class Ranking: No. 9 (8 commits)

Last Year: 31

Relationships and recruiting are words typically used to define Maryland second-year coach Mike Locksley and those appear to be paying off early in the 2021 cycle for the Terrapins as they sit at No. 9 nationally in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings with nine commitments to date.

Locksley is obviously deep-rooted in the DMV and that part of the country and every commit to this point is from the area. High schools coaches from those parts want to see Locksley succeed and will be patient with him in trying to build it up from the rubble the firing of D.J. Durkin left behind.

We have seen the Terrapins in the Top25 at the end of the cycle before including most recently at No. 18 in 2017. With Locksley at the helm the program is looking for that to be more the norm. Maryland did finish No. 31 this past cycle, strong when you factor in a seven-game losing streak to end the season 3-9.

Four-star defensive tackle Taizse Johnson is the class headliner, and Locksley and his staff are in the conversation for several more touted recruits. Those names include five-star quarterback Caleb Williams, electric pass rusher Demeioun Robinson, linebacker Aaron Willis and Top247 defensive end Monkell Goodwine.

KANSAS STATE WILDCATS

Class Ranking: No. 12 (5 commits)

Last Year: 51

Sitting at No. 12 in the rankings is Kansas State, which is good for No. 2 in the Big 12. You have to go back to 2007 and 2008 to find the Wildcats finishing as high as No. 6 in the league and 2005 and 2004 to find them at No. 4. We’ll see where the Wildcats ultimately fall but there is a buzz regarding the Little Apple with second-year head coach Chris Klieman and his staff putting a ton of effort in on the recruiting trail.

Social media is a big proponent for this Wildcats staff as they religiously try and show prospects what it’s like on the Kansas State campus with practice clips, workout videos and more. Manhattan is not a destination town with prospects oftentimes passing five or six Big 12 schools on the way to campus, so showcasing that environment regularly is something Klieman and company deem crucial and it’s paying off so far this cycle. Klieman himself personally extends every scholarship offer and the program finally has an alternate uniform to boast about.

Four-star quarterback Jake Rubley is the foundation of the class so far, with guys like offensive linemen Connor Tollison and Beau Stephens along with in-state running back Devin Neal being a few coveted names moving forward that Kansas State is in the the thick of it for.

CAL BEARS

Class Ranking: No. 22 (3 commits)

Last Year: 39

They’re shooting their shots at Cal this cycle. The Bears have the nation’s No. 22 class with a lot of potential moving forward.

Two of California’s three commits are four-stars — tight end Jermaine Terry and receiver Marvin Anderson, who both pledged in February.They’re in on a pair of Top247 quarterbacks in Miller Moss and Ty Thompson. A couple of Top247 running backs in Byron Cardwell and Prophet Brown, two of the state’s best at that position, are very interested. Junior Alexander and J. Michael Sturdivant are Top247 receivers Justin Wilcox and company are in on, and Akili Calhoun from the Bay area, four-star defensive lineman Derek Wilkins and Top247 outside linebacker Yanni Karlaftis are a few others strongly considering playing for the Bears.

Cal has seen improvement in each of the first three seasons of the Justin Wilcox regime, including eight wins last fall. It seems to be carrying over to the trail.

TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS

Class Ranking: No. 27 (3 commits)

Last Year: 49

We have to go back to the 2015 class to find Texas Tech in the top half of the Big 12 standings where they finished No. 3, showing this program has the potential to be the one that checks in after Oklahoma and Texas.

The Red Raiders are sitting at No. 4 right now including a pair of four-star commits in quarterback Behren Morton and receiver Jerand Bradley. Head coach Matt Wells and his staff have shown they’re doing a good job of getting on guys early and pushing to get them to Lubbock to see it.

There’s a lot of touted guys from in-state with a keen eye on Texas Tech moving forward including defensive end E’maurion Banks, offensive tackles Matthew Wykoff and Jack Tucker, defensive ends Landyn Watson and Chris Murray and tight end Jasper Lott. Many of them are expected on campus this weekend.

WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

Class Ranking: No. 35 (3 commits)

Last Year: 37

I get the sense West Virginia is a program that’s in the thick of it for more of their top targets than in years past. Talking to prospects, their parents and coaches on the trail, it seems Neal Brown and his staff are doing a terrific job building relationships with prospects who are including WVU among their respective group of leaders.

It’s certainly apparent that West Virginia is recruiting guys with two, three and sometimes four coaches, and that doesn’t even include off-field guys and Brown himself.

With that, four-star quarterback Christian Veilleux is heavy on West Virginia as the Mountaineers battle Penn State among others. Same goes for touted-receiver JJ Jones and coveted offensive tackle Wyatt Milum. I don’t know where this class is going to ultimately fall, but I am seeing the Mountaineers in a different light.