New wide receiver target for Wisconsin
Wisconsin made a surprise offer this week when Furman basketball commit Quintez Cephus picked up a scholarship from the Badgers. Position coach Ted Gilmore, who is serving as the lead contact, was able to secure an official visit from the Georgia sleeper for this upcoming weekend and UW will work hard to wrap up his recruitment while on campus. According to a source, Cephus is “absolutely” a take for the Badgers.
While he may be a new name for Wisconsin recruiting fans, Cephus has been on the Badgers’ radar since June. Gilmore was alerted of the 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior through a contact in the Georgia area. Once Cephus’ season started, the coaching staff at Stratford Academy sent his film to Gilmore each weekend as the interest continued to build. Thursday, an offer was officially in hand.
Cephus’ scholarship, according to a source, reflects how strongly UW feels about his upside rather than where they stand with high-priority targets Lil'Jordan Humphrey and Malik Harrison. Outside of the fact that both could also play H-back, Humphrey and Harrison remain takes for UW and each, according to a source, is expected to officially visit Madison this fall.
While it’s possible, a source close to Cephus said he’d be surprised if he made a commitment while on campus. However, he went on to say that a decision should be finalized no later than Nov. 11, which is the early signing period for basketball. Cephus would like to give the Furman staff a solid answer as early as possible.
From my perspective, I feel very strongly about Cephus joining UW’s 2016 recruiting class. He’s been a basketball player all his life and many feel that if Cephus focuses solely on football –- particularly the receiver position –- he has the ability to make a big impact at the next level.
Few more Cephus tidbits:
*Started as a freshman on varsity on defense, but didn’t play as a sophomore (football).
*Played quarterback as a junior.
*This is his first fall playing wide receiver.
*A thumb injury cut short Cephus’ AAU season. He missed all of July and the opportunity to earn more basketball offers.
Williams on Twitter
Four-star commit Antonio Williams sent a few shock waves via social media this weekend with a very pro-Ohio State stretch on his Twitter page. The senior from North Carolina “followed” current Buckeyes Mike Weber, Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones and Ezekiel Elliot, as well as position coach Tony Alford, and took down some Wisconsin graphics on his front page.
The first member of the Badgers’ 2016 class, Williams made a tweet after UW’s loss to Iowa that didn’t endorse senior quarterback Joel Stave. What we can report is that members of the current roster were not happy with Williams’ comment, which was soon deleted, followed by an apology. We cannot confirm a connection here, though the timing should raise some eyebrows.
Ohio State, which could be looking for a replacement should five-star Kareem Walker flip to Michigan, is working to get Williams on campus as early as this weekend, according to a source. Another source said he felt Williams would indeed take an official to Columbus, though nothing is set in stone just yet for this weekend when OSU hosts Penn State.
The Badgers held on to Williams’s commitment despite some of the top programs in the country showing very strong interest this past winter and spring. He cancelled visit requests from Alabama and even turned away former recruiting contact Thomas Brown, who is now on staff at Georgia. Williams has already taken his official visit to Madison and has all but shut out other schools since the start of the summer.
Williams, who previously held an offer from Ohio State, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Point guard saga continues
Continuing down the pecking order of potential point guards in the senior class, it’s becoming more likely that Ohio’s Frankie Hughes, according to a source, will enter the “missed on” category. That group already includes Payton Pritchard (Oregon), JaQuori McLaughlin (Oregon State) and Xavier Simpson (Michigan).
Hughes, a 6-foot-3, 170-pound three-star prospect from Garfield Heights, had planned on making his final decision public Tuesday. That announcement, according to his high school coach, has now been pushed back because of recent interest from other schools, such as Miami and Louisville, among others.
Reading the tea leaves, had Hughes been content with his current offers, new interest would not have swayed his focus. Associate head coach Greg Gard recently visited Hughes, though it appears unlikely he’ll end up a Badger.
Should that happen, the focus could turn to Indiana’s Justin Thomas. Wisconsin may just need clearance on his grades before extending an offer. Without many other options, it’s likely Thomas would jump at an opportunity to play for UW.
More social media speculation
Staying with the Twitter theme, freshman tight end Kyle Penniston raised an eyebrow or two with a tweet that indicated the need to make some “decisions.”
While we’re not sure the origin behind the tweet is, the former four-star recruit is NOT transferring from Wisconsin. We’re told by a source that an injury has kept Penniston from contributing this season but he’s expected to be ready for off-season workouts. Had he been healthy, it's likely Penniston would have played this past weekend against Nebraska after an Austin Traylor went down against Iowa.
Penniston’s family relocated from California to Wisconsin this summer.
Sails' top 3
Three-star cornerback K.J. Sails is now down to Iowa, Wisconsin and Cincinnati. As we've reported for a while, the Florida standout with likely wind up in the Big Ten. He's indicated to members of UW's current class his desire to play with them next fall.
Wisconsin made a surprise offer this week when Furman basketball commit Quintez Cephus picked up a scholarship from the Badgers. Position coach Ted Gilmore, who is serving as the lead contact, was able to secure an official visit from the Georgia sleeper for this upcoming weekend and UW will work hard to wrap up his recruitment while on campus. According to a source, Cephus is “absolutely” a take for the Badgers.
While he may be a new name for Wisconsin recruiting fans, Cephus has been on the Badgers’ radar since June. Gilmore was alerted of the 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior through a contact in the Georgia area. Once Cephus’ season started, the coaching staff at Stratford Academy sent his film to Gilmore each weekend as the interest continued to build. Thursday, an offer was officially in hand.
Cephus’ scholarship, according to a source, reflects how strongly UW feels about his upside rather than where they stand with high-priority targets Lil'Jordan Humphrey and Malik Harrison. Outside of the fact that both could also play H-back, Humphrey and Harrison remain takes for UW and each, according to a source, is expected to officially visit Madison this fall.
While it’s possible, a source close to Cephus said he’d be surprised if he made a commitment while on campus. However, he went on to say that a decision should be finalized no later than Nov. 11, which is the early signing period for basketball. Cephus would like to give the Furman staff a solid answer as early as possible.
From my perspective, I feel very strongly about Cephus joining UW’s 2016 recruiting class. He’s been a basketball player all his life and many feel that if Cephus focuses solely on football –- particularly the receiver position –- he has the ability to make a big impact at the next level.
Few more Cephus tidbits:
*Started as a freshman on varsity on defense, but didn’t play as a sophomore (football).
*Played quarterback as a junior.
*This is his first fall playing wide receiver.
*A thumb injury cut short Cephus’ AAU season. He missed all of July and the opportunity to earn more basketball offers.
Williams on Twitter
Four-star commit Antonio Williams sent a few shock waves via social media this weekend with a very pro-Ohio State stretch on his Twitter page. The senior from North Carolina “followed” current Buckeyes Mike Weber, Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones and Ezekiel Elliot, as well as position coach Tony Alford, and took down some Wisconsin graphics on his front page.
The first member of the Badgers’ 2016 class, Williams made a tweet after UW’s loss to Iowa that didn’t endorse senior quarterback Joel Stave. What we can report is that members of the current roster were not happy with Williams’ comment, which was soon deleted, followed by an apology. We cannot confirm a connection here, though the timing should raise some eyebrows.
Ohio State, which could be looking for a replacement should five-star Kareem Walker flip to Michigan, is working to get Williams on campus as early as this weekend, according to a source. Another source said he felt Williams would indeed take an official to Columbus, though nothing is set in stone just yet for this weekend when OSU hosts Penn State.
The Badgers held on to Williams’s commitment despite some of the top programs in the country showing very strong interest this past winter and spring. He cancelled visit requests from Alabama and even turned away former recruiting contact Thomas Brown, who is now on staff at Georgia. Williams has already taken his official visit to Madison and has all but shut out other schools since the start of the summer.
Williams, who previously held an offer from Ohio State, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Point guard saga continues
Continuing down the pecking order of potential point guards in the senior class, it’s becoming more likely that Ohio’s Frankie Hughes, according to a source, will enter the “missed on” category. That group already includes Payton Pritchard (Oregon), JaQuori McLaughlin (Oregon State) and Xavier Simpson (Michigan).
Hughes, a 6-foot-3, 170-pound three-star prospect from Garfield Heights, had planned on making his final decision public Tuesday. That announcement, according to his high school coach, has now been pushed back because of recent interest from other schools, such as Miami and Louisville, among others.
Reading the tea leaves, had Hughes been content with his current offers, new interest would not have swayed his focus. Associate head coach Greg Gard recently visited Hughes, though it appears unlikely he’ll end up a Badger.
Should that happen, the focus could turn to Indiana’s Justin Thomas. Wisconsin may just need clearance on his grades before extending an offer. Without many other options, it’s likely Thomas would jump at an opportunity to play for UW.
More social media speculation
Staying with the Twitter theme, freshman tight end Kyle Penniston raised an eyebrow or two with a tweet that indicated the need to make some “decisions.”
While we’re not sure the origin behind the tweet is, the former four-star recruit is NOT transferring from Wisconsin. We’re told by a source that an injury has kept Penniston from contributing this season but he’s expected to be ready for off-season workouts. Had he been healthy, it's likely Penniston would have played this past weekend against Nebraska after an Austin Traylor went down against Iowa.
Penniston’s family relocated from California to Wisconsin this summer.
Sails' top 3
Three-star cornerback K.J. Sails is now down to Iowa, Wisconsin and Cincinnati. As we've reported for a while, the Florida standout with likely wind up in the Big Ten. He's indicated to members of UW's current class his desire to play with them next fall.
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