No doubt that predicting future success for high school kids in collegiate football and beyond is a not a science. UW has done well considering they are not landing all 4-5 star recruits.
The TE situation is Cundiff and I think Hayden Rucci that you may be referring to. It was his brother Nolan that was a big recruit I know for sure that was considering ND. Cundiff is the guy that had that brutal compound fracture or ankle dislocation last year. He is reported to look good and be a primary target for Mertz in fall camp.
Big issue I see is the depth again. Outside of OL and maybe RB, they are going to be playing inexperienced and or young kids in their two deep at most positions.
I think the D will be good again. ILB's are new but both are very athletic and they really go 5 deep at that position. They can't have injuries on D-line as it looks to be pretty thin there, although they usually figure something out- like moving an O-lineman over there.
It will be interesting to see what Engram brings to the offense in terms of scheme and play-calling. I am not expecting it to look that different from years past, but I do think we will see more quick passes to slot receivers, FB, H-backs/TEs, etc.
I am excited for Badger football to begin.