Andersen went the JUCO way for his first recruiting class at Madison

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MADISON - Unlike his two predecessors, the University of Wisconsin’s new football coach Gary Andersen does not hesitate to bring in junior college talent.

Andersen’s first recruiting class at the UW was unveiled during yesterday’s National Signing Day. And of the 17 scholarship players and two walk-ons, two players have junior college experience – and both expect to compete for playing time right away. They are quarterback Tanner McEvoy from Arizona Western College in Yuma, and safety Donnell Vercher of Fresno College.

Andersen was a junior college All-American himself before he transferred to Utah in the 1980’s. He says that if they take care of business and have high academic standards, junior college transfers have no problem getting into the Badger program. He says many have chips on their shoulders after failing to get Division-One scholarships early on – but he never expects to bring in large numbers of those players in any one year.

Meanwhile, three of Bret Bielema’s previous recruits have left for other schools, after Bielema left for Arkansas. The latest is Marcus Ball, who signed with Arizona State.

Tags: wisconsin sports, football, proam, badgers