It’s fair to say Wisconsin’s 2020 season has not gone as planned. A year that started out with so much promise in dominating wins over Illinois and Michigan quickly turned ugly, as the Badgers had three games canceled due to COVID-19 and are currently on their first three-game losing streak within the same season since 2008. But the bad feelings around this unusual season will give way, at least for a day, for a celebration of what Wisconsin has accomplished on the recruiting trail in the 2021 class.

On Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period, the Badgers are expected to ink their best recruiting class in the online recruiting ranking era, which dates back to 2001. The class includes the top players in the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pennsylvania, along with the No. 2 player in the state of Iowa. The 21 players expected to sign come from 12 states, including six from Wisconsin.

It’s highlighted by, as you’d expect, a trio of elite offensive linemen. That includes 5-star tackle Nolan Rucci, a Penn State legacy, who spurned his instate school to join his brother, Hayden, in Madison. There is also 4-star outside linebacker TJ Bollers from Iowa. His dad played for the Hawkeyes but coach Paul Chryst’s staff pulled him out of the state anyway. Wisconsin has routinely needed to travel outside of its borders to find players to fill the secondary, but in this class the Badgers had the good fortune of finding two 4-star safeties in their backyard in the form of Hunter Wohler and Braelon Allen.

Those are just some of the players that make up a class that is ranked No. 16 in the country and No. 3 class in the Big Ten, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Here are the players that are expected to sign Wednesday.

RB Jackson Acker (3-star, Verona, Wis.)
OLB Ayo Adebogun (3-star, Thiensville, Wis.)
S Braelon Allen (4-star, Fond du Lac, Wis.)
WR Markus Allen (Clayton, Ohio)
CB Al Ashford III (3-star, Englewood, Colo.)
WR Skyler Bell (3-star, Watertown, Conn.)
OT JP Benzschawel (4-star, Grafton, Wis.)
OLB TJ Bollers (4-star, Tiffin, Iowa)
ILB Jake Chaney (3-star, Lehigh Acres, Fla.)
RB Loyal Crawford (3-star, Eau Claire, Wis.)
CB Ricardo Hallman (3-star, Miami Gardens, Fla.)
QB Deacon Hill (3-star, Santa Barbara, Calif.)
DE Mike Jarvis (3-star, Medford, N.J.)
OT Riley Mahlman (4-star, Lakeville, Minn.)
OLB Darryl Peterson (3-star, Akron, Ohio)
TE Jack Pugh (3-star, Hilliard, Ohio)
OLB Jake Ratzlaff (3-star, Rosemount, Minn.)
ILB Bryan Sanborn (3-star, Lake Zurich, Ill.
RB Antwan Roberts (3-star, Hendersonville, Tenn.)
OT Nolan Rucci (5-star, Lititz, Penn.)
S Hunter Wohler (4-star, Muskego, Wis.)