Yesterday we debuted our first 2015 recruiting board and of course shortly after putting it up, 247sports put up their first composite rankings for the class. While the complete list obviously isn't out, we wanted to update you with those who hold Wisconsin offers and got rankings. 

For sure, rankings are the end all, be all, and as Badger fans we all know that by now, but this list of early offers is pretty impressive in the scope of who UW is in play for in the rankings. So, enjoy away!

Quarterback

Offers: 

By now we hope you are all used to our bi-weekly football recruiting board updates. Well, we've got another set of them for you today as we unveil the 2015 class for you. 

Why so damn early, you ask? Well, when you see what's going on in the class of 2015 you'll know exactly why. This ain't the Badger recruiting trail of old, so buckle up and have some fun along the way. 

Oh, and as a PSA - don't be that guy - you know, the one that tweets at recruits and pokes them with questions and how your school (Wisconsin) is better than everyone else in the land. Especially if you're a season ticket holder or have ever donated anything to the UW athletic funds, you are breaking NCAA rules. 

Frankly, it's also just plain creepy. STOP IT!! We know of a few of you out there in Badger fanland and we're about ready to call some of  you out on it if it doesn't stop. 

Leave the talking to recruits to those of us who cover the team full-time... We aren't endangering the program by talking to them, unlike you guys. So, knock it off!! 

Now on to the main attraction! 

It's summer and that means lots of movement on the recruiting trail as coaches attempt to get players to camps and visits, head out to visit recruits during the open periods and of course players begin to trickle in with their verbal commitments. 

Wisconsin saw it happen twice last week in consecutive days with commitments along the defensive line (Billy Hirschfeld) and in the offensive backfield (Ula Tolutau). 

Since we last were with you offers have gone out like crazy and we've added a new feature here as we begin to also look at the class of 2015 (which can be found here). Yes, Badger fans, it is time to get used to coach Andersen's staff pulling the trigger on more early offers than we've likely ever seen before. 

So, enjoy the updated list of offers out there on the board and the movement along each position throughout both the 2014 and 2015 classes. (reminder all rankings are via the 247 Composite which includes all rankings out there including 247, Scout, and Rivals)

One of the biggest reasons Bret Bielema gave for leaving Wisconsin and heading for Razorbacks country was that Wisconsin wasn't paying its assistants enough to keep them around long enough to prevent massive changes every season. 

Consider message received, as we reported earlier this year that UW football assistant salaries took a huge jump. Well, earlier today it became clear that Wisconsin is becoming very competitive inside the Big Ten. Just how competitive? 

According to the ESPN.com report offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda both rank 8th in salary amongst the coordinators in the Big Ten, earning $480,000 this season. That's a massive jump from the fact that UW ranked 2nd to last in coordinator salaries just last season. 

Max Sellman delivers a pitch against Michigan. The Badgers rode a five-run third inning to the win. Photo credit: Gary Kilgas

HUNTINGBURG, IN. - After losing its first game at the Great Lakes Regional Tournament, the University of Wisconsin Club Baseball Team prepared itself to walk the tightrope that led to the National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) World Series on Saturday morning. One bad inning, one missed sign, or one false step could drop the team into the abyss and end their season. The players had two hours after their loss to Bowling Green to steady themselves before they played the #3 seed Michigan (12-3 Great Lakes - North,14-4 overall), which had lost to second-seeded Illinois, 12-4.

During the down time, I went to grab a bite to eat with seniors Phillip Kilgas and Cullen Buchanan. As they ate, they expressed disappointment with the loss but seemed very relaxed about their situation. This was typical for their team; during the course of the season the Badgers were always a low-key, loose bunch. They reminded me of the 2012-2013 Wisconsin Men’s Basketball team because you could tell that the players understood the importance of winning games and wanted to succeed worse than the Barden Bellas (yes, that’s a Pitch Perfect reference), but the team was so laid back that sometimes you wondered if they knew where the gas pedal was located.

Buchanan had been here before as a freshman starter on the 2010 team that participated in the regional tournament, and Kilgas, a former scholarship player at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis, was no stranger to high-level competition. The team followed their lead.

Wisconsin came into the NCAA tournament in 2013 having never won a game and after winning twice on Friday afternoon the Badgers faced the host Oregon Ducks with a birth in the super regionals on the line. Unfortunately, UW's luck at the plate ran out as Oregon eliminated Wisconsin from the NCAA tournament by a score of 3-0. 

UW ace Cassandra Darrah did all she could to help this team, pitching a near flawless game. Unfortunately her two mistakes cost the Badgers (44-13) dearly as she was tagged twice for home runs that produced all three runs and took the loss because of it. 

It spoiled an otherwise great pitching performance for Darrah, who went the distance - giving up just three hits, striking out five and walking just three Ducks on the day. 

On the flip side the Badger bats were silenced as well, producing just four hits of their own as the Ducks Cheridan Hawkins (a freshman) and Jessica Moore combined to hold what had been a potent Badgers offense off the board. 

Survive and advance - it's a term that we all hear often associated with playoffs in sports and it held somewhat true for Wisconsin on Friday as they stared elimination in the face twice and rather than just survive they pounced on the chances provided to them, advancing to see another day in the NCAA tournament with wins of 6-0 over BYU and 6-2 over North Carolina. 

The 6-0 win over BYU marked Wisconsin's first NCAA softball tournament win in program history. Cassandra Darrah excelled from the circle, going 6 innings while giving up just two hits and striking out four. They also got a lot of timely hitting from her teammates to advance to the nightcap and the final elimination game of the day. 

Perhaps the biggest highlight outside of Darrah's pitching performance in the opener was the three run home run from Stephanie Peace, who hit it deep to the left field bleachers to make the game 5-0 at that point. It was all the Badgers and Darrah needed to help eliminate BYU from tournament play and keep their tournament hopes alive as well. 

UPDATE: According to reports Ula, who is Mormon, will be on a two year mission and won't be enrolling until 2016, but does plan to sign his NLI with the Badgers as part of this class.

Wisconsin's summer recruiting is getting off to a pretty good start and the class of 2014 has it's first verbal commitment from an out of state recruit thanks to Ula Tolutau making a fast choice in favor of the Badgers. Tolutau is a three star athlete/running back out of Salt Lake City (East) in Utah. 

Tolutau. who is 6'1" and 230lbs., is a name that most fans probably aren't familiar with as he was just offered by Wisconsin on May 8th. So, why the fast choice for Wisconsin? Well, he's quoted as calling UW a "dream school." 

In fact, according to Jon McNamara at BadgerBlitz.com Ula's head coach even says as much: 

"Ula told me in September that his dream school was Wisconsin, and that was long before coach Andersen got the job," Salt Lake City (Utah) East head coach Brandon Matich told BadgerBlitz.com.

He chose the Badgers over offers from BYU, Utah, Utah State, and Hawaii. He also was receiving major interest from just about every Pac-12 school but once the Badgers offered it was all over for him according to multiple reports.

The 2014 Big Ten football schedule is out... Time to get our reaction and thoughts on what it means for you the Badger fan. 

Check out our reaction here: 

The Big Ten released it's 2014 football schedule on Thursday afternoon and Wisconsin will have an interesting mix of games to say the least, but they also dodged a bullet or two as they won't see Michigan, Penn State, or Ohio State out of the East division. 

Instead they will face newcomers Maryland and Rutgers, doing so in back-to-back weeks actually. Additionally the Big Ten has gone all in on the rivalry tip, putting the biggest rivalry games in the final week of the season. For UW that means a date with Minnesota for Paul Bunyan's Axe and the chance at a decade of domination for the Badgers in that rivalry. 

Also of note is that Wisconsin's three biggest games inside the West division come down the stretch as it'll be back-to-back-to-back games against Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota. Without the big four schools from the East on the schedule that stretch should get the juices flowing, regardless of how good or bad Iowa and Minnesota may be in 2014 - that's three rivalry games in a row and if you as a fan can't get up for that, I'm not sure there's much in the way of help we can offer you.

Here is Wisconsin's full 2014 schedule as it is known now (courtesy of FBSschedules.com):