MADISON, Wis. — When Luke Fickell took over Wisconsin’s football program last year, he had little more than three weeks before high school recruits were set to fax in their national letters of intent during the early signing period. And the amount of work that Fickell and his staff members had in front of them was enormous.

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At one time, Wisconsin was down to just eight committed prospects in the 2023 class because of decommitments amid coaching uncertainty. So the fact that Fickell and his staffers were ultimately able to secure a 15-player class had to be classified as an important victory — even if that class ranked No. 58 in the 247Sports Composite team rankings.

It was a class that included three four-star prospects, including two — safety Braedyn Moore and cornerback Amare Snowden — that Fickell once had committed to Cincinnati. Wisconsin brought wide receiver Trech Kekahuna back even after he previously decommitted from the program and did the same thing with defensive lineman Jamel Howard during the February signing period to put a bow on the class.

A year later, Wisconsin is preparing to sign its 2024 class, marking the first group in which Fickell and Co. have had a full recruiting cycle for the Badgers. The early signing period begins Wednesday and runs through Friday. Fortunately for Wisconsin, most of the work on this group was done early, with all 20 commits pledging to the Badgers by mid-August. Here’s a glimpse at where things stand.

What does the class look like now?

As we saw when Wisconsin signed its three best recruiting classes of the online ranking era in consecutive years from 2019-21, ratings and stars don’t guarantee success on the field. But that doesn’t mean Badgers fans shouldn’t be excited about the type of talent Wisconsin is bringing in with the 2024 class.

Of the 20 players currently committed, seven are rated as four-star composite prospects: running back Dilin Jones (Olney, Md.), offensive tackle Kevin Heywood (Royersford, Pa.), offensive tackle Emerson Mandell (St. Paul, Minn.), tight end Grant Stec (Algonquin, Ill.), running back Darrion Dupree (Chicago), cornerback Omillio Agard (Philadelphia) and quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas). If those marks hold when the cycle completes, it would represent the second-most four-star prospects Wisconsin has signed in a class.

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The Badgers signed eight four-star players and one five-star player (offensive tackle Nolan Rucci) in the 2021 class. From that group, outside linebacker Darryl Peterson, running back Braelon Allen, safety Hunter Wohler and right tackle Riley Mahlman became starters. As it stands, Wisconsin’s 2024 class ranks No. 25 in the 247Sports Composite team rankings, which would also rank second behind the 2021 class that finished No. 16.

Wisconsin addressed plenty of positional needs, including adding five offensive linemen, three running backs and three cornerbacks. And while it’s difficult to know which true freshmen could immediately contribute until they arrive on campus, the running back room is especially intriguing. Dupree became the first player from his team to win the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year award in 42 years, and his versatility could be an ideal fit for Wisconsin’s offense. He finished his senior season with 1,092 yards rushing, 755 yards receiving and 24 total touchdowns. Jones, the highest-rated player in the class, is another dynamic tailback who could challenge for playing time. Stec is a top-15 tight end in the country whose pass-catching ability gives Wisconsin much-needed help but who also was a dominant blocker in a wing-T offense.

Wisconsin did an excellent job of casting a wide net nationally and finding success in the east, thanks in large part to safeties coach Colin Hitschler, a Philadelphia native. The Badgers have three players committed from Pennsylvania: Heywood, Agard and offensive lineman Ryan Cory. Wisconsin did have four but opted to part ways with safety Kahmir Prescott. One of the more important recruiting wins came when the Badgers were able to land defensive lineman Dillan Johnson, who initially committed to Northwestern but backed away from that pledge after Pat Fitzgerald was fired.

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Who are the remaining targets?

There are two players to watch right now as the early signing period approaches: defensive lineman Ernest Willor Jr. and tight end Rob Booker II. Willor is a four-star prospect from Towson, Md., who visited Wisconsin two weeks ago and is also considering Maryland. Wisconsin does have commitments from two defensive linemen — Johnson and Hank Weber — but continues to look for impact players at the position. Willor is the No. 2 player in Maryland and the No. 17 defensive lineman in the country.

Booker, from Waunakee, Wis., has been on an interesting recruiting journey. He originally committed to Wisconsin in January but flipped to UCLA in June after visiting campus. At the time, he detailed his thought process in a conversation with The Athletic, noting that he felt he would have a better opportunity under Chip Kelly at UCLA, and that he thought his play style better complemented that offense. However, Booker told The Athletic via text on Friday that “Wisconsin is still an option.” He is scheduled to hold his signing day ceremony at 3:45 p.m. CT Wednesday at his high school.

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Are there any decommit concerns?

Wisconsin picked up a commitment from cornerback Xavier Lucas in August, but the Badgers have been in a battle for his services down the stretch. Lucas, who is from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., subsequently visited Miami and Florida State and is coming off yet another trip to Miami, which is the team that seems most likely to land Lucas if it’s not Wisconsin. As it stands, Wisconsin’s three cornerback commits are Lucas, Agard and Jay Harper, giving the Badgers 12 scholarship corners for next season.

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Will any recruitments carry over into the February signing period?

That doesn’t appear to be the case this year, as it was with Howard in the 2023 class. But if someone on Wisconsin’s radar doesn’t sign with a program during the early signing period, things can always change. Fickell said during the summer that he expected to sign 20 to 25 high school recruits in each class, and he is right in that window.

Whatever holes remain on the roster are being addressed through the transfer portal. So far, Wisconsin has added six transfer portal players: outside linebacker Leon Lowery (Syracuse), long snapper Cayson Pfeiffer (Cincinnati), outside linebacker John Pius (William & Mary), quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (Miami), tight end Jackson McGohan (LSU) and wide receiver Tyrell Henry (Michigan State).

(Top photo: John Fisher / Getty Images)