This was supposed to be the year fans finally were going to be able judge the impact University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema has had on recruiting.

When Bielema, who turned 38 last month, was hired as the successor to Barry Alvarez, there was great hope among fans it would mean an uptick in the caliber of recruits the Badgers signed.

After all, Bielema first made a name for himself as a recruiter, especially in Florida, and recruiting is an area where his youthfulness could pay huge dividends.

Bielema's first recruiting class in 2006 was hindered by the coaching transition and not having a full staff of assistants at the time. He signed 23 recruits and Rivals.com ranked that class No. 42 nationally.

Last year's class was limited by a lack of available scholarships. UW signed 18 recruits and ranked No. 34 nationally.

This year, the Badgers have 23 known commitments in a class to be unveiled today that is tied for No. 41 in
Rivals.com's national rankings.

For fans who pay attention to those rankings, that's probably a disappointment.

So is the fact the Badgers rank sixth in the Big Ten Conference, behind schools such as Minnesota (No. 20 nationally) and Illinois (No. 21).

If anything, UW might have lost ground in recruiting, due to coaches Tim Brewster at Minnesota and Ron Zook at Illinois.

"There's no question, Ron Zook, we've known for a long time he's been able to go out there and recruit," said Jeremy Crabtree, the national recruiting editor for Rivals.com. "It was just a case of him going and doing it at Illinois. He's done a tremendous job there, has recruited well in his own back yard and has gone out and recruited nationally.

"Tim Brewster is another coach we knew could recruit. He was excellent (as an assistant) at the University of Texas. Despite the really bad season they had (last) year, they've landed a class that's going to be either in the top 25 or right outside. No doubt about that at all, they've impressed."

But that doesn't mean Bielema's recruiting has been a disappointment.

Despite the Badgers' ranking, Crabtree said: "I definitely think they've taken some major steps forward this year. They've gotten some great talent in the state of Texas. They've continued to dip into Florida. Although it might not register a top-25 class, you can definitely make a case for them to be one of the top five or six classes in the Big Ten. If you're in the top five in the Big Ten, you've done some good work."

Tom Luginbill, the national recruiting director for ESPN Scouts Inc., puts UW's class just outside his top 25, among the other teams receiving votes.

"The biggest thing Wisconsin has got to do, they've always got to maintain the best players in the state and keep them there," Luginbill said. "Then go out in some states, where you're going to have upgraded team speed, like Florida or Texas, and make sure you get kids out of there each and every year."

The Badgers continued to do that, again landing the consensus top recruits in the state, including defensive end Tyler Westphal from Menasha and offensive lineman Peter Konz from Neenah.

Defensive coordinator Dave Doeren landed four prospects from Florida, including Anthony Mains, an athletic defensive end from Naples with a big upside.

Defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks got three players from Texas who are defensive backs: Marcus Cromartie from Arlington, Shelton Johnson from Carrollton and Devin Smith from Coppell.

"I think when coach Bielema steps back and looks at this class, I think they're going to be really pleased what they did with defensive backs," Crabtree said.

Defensive line coach Randall McCray made a big impact in Illinois, getting four players. They include Leonard Hubbard, a hard-hitting linebacker from Springfield, and defensive tackle Dan Moore, from Joliet Junior College, who will be counted on to make an immediate impact.

The Badgers are expected to sign six defensive linemen, which was the top priority in this class.

Moore is one of four recruits already enrolled at UW, along with tight end Jake Byrne, quarterback Curt Phillips and offensive lineman Jake Current.

Bielema appeared to get many of his top targets, since most of the commitments came early. That also had to do with a change in philosophy, bringing in more recruits for unofficial visits in the summer.

"I think we had over 30 unofficial visits in June and July, which makes a huge difference," Bielema said. "Obviously, Madison's a lot different in those two months than it is in December and January."