How does JT Seagreaves' commitment impact the Badgers' 2022 recruiting class?
A 6-foot-6, 220-pound rising senior, JT Seagreaves fits the pass-catching, H-back option Wisconsin loves to showcase in its pro-style attack. A multi-sport athlete who also had Division 1 options in basketball, Seagreaves should bring athleticism and the ability to stretch the field to the tight end position when he arrives on campus next summer. In terms of speed, he recently took first place in the 100- (11.40 seconds) and 200-meter (22.70) dash at his conference track and field meet earlier this month. "We didn't want spring to ruin everyone's normal spring functions or events," Monroe head coach Toby Golembiewski told BadgerBlitz.com. "So there were times that we had a football game on Friday and then the next morning, JT would be traveling to play his first of five or six basketball games on Saturday for AAU, right after a Friday football game. "He played a lot of AAU basketball in the spring, and they would allow him to miss track practices for AAU. The scores he was getting in track were coming from very little technique work and practice. So he wasn't working for three hours in the blocks, he was tying up his shoes the day of the meet and running these races, sometimes one or two days removed from a huge basketball tournament." At the high school level, Seagreaves is also a standout defensive end, which was actually the position Illinois State offered at earlier in his recruitment. When looking at his junior tape, Seagreaves was more productive on the defensive side of the ball, using his length and speed off the edge to disrupt the opposing backfield. As the two-star prospect prepares for his senior season and eventual career at Wisconsin, Seagreaves will need the learn the techniques required to play tight end as he continues to add weight and strength to his frame. But as he continues to log more reps at the position, Seagreaves likely has the most upside of the five early commitments in the Badgers' 2022 class. "We've talked about it the last couple years about how we can maximize what we have, but also maximize JT," Golembiewski said. "It all depends on our ability to protect and make the throw to him. Right now he can make it on defense and he doesn't need a quarterback or offensive line to get off the edge and get 15 knockdowns, a couple sacks and some tackles for loss. But when you're a pass catcher, you rely on a lot of other people to be successful. We really have to balance him in and try to make it work as a team. "A lot of people assume he's a tight end now and we're going to throw to him every single snap. But to tell you the truth, he's never even played tight end - he's been a wide receiver. So we're going to try and win games and depending on who shows up at camp, he might be in our backfield as our quarterback. It just depends on how the puzzle pieces comes together." Finally, it's important to note that position coach Mickey Turner saw Seagreaves at camp twice in June. And during the second session, he went head-to-head against Andrew Keller, who has double-digit scholarship offers. Turner chose to move forward with Seagreaves, which says a lot about his current ability and high ceiling at the next level. "Coach Turner sees a lot of potential in me and a lot of good things to build off of," Seagreves told BadgerBlitz.com. "He sees me initially as a later downs pass catcher when I come in. It depends how fast I develop because I definitely have some things to learn and I have heard there is a learning curve, but I feel like there will be opportunity there and through that I can work my way more and more into the offense."