Wisconsin scores big with Rene
Of the five official visitors on campus this weekend, Wisconsin made arguably the biggest impact on four-star defensive back Patrice Rene. We communicated with a source close to the situation Sunday who said Rene was close to committing while in Madison. And then the current Rutgers pledge went on record with that thought Monday morning.
"I was pretty close to flipping," Rene told Rivals.com. "I've been in contact with them for a couple months now. Coach (Daronte) Jones does a good job recruiting me and I just love what they're all about. I had a really good vibe. I felt comfortable and it felt like home. It was definitely tough to restrain myself and not do anything drastic without talking to my parents and coaches. That visit was a very good one and I was impressed."
One of the reasons, we’re told, that Rene gave a strong thought to a potential commitment was the fact that Wisconsin didn’t pressure him into making a move. The staff advised him to talk with his parents and make sure he was making the right choice, which Rene appreciated, we’re told. Additionally, Jones has been on Rene for some time, so there’s an established relationship there that continued to grow this past weekend.
So what happens after the buzz of the official? Right now, it will have a lot to do with what happens with Kyle Flood at Rutgers. At the start of the year, it seemed only a matter of time before Flood would be looking for other work. But with as much coaching turnover that already exists in college football, do the Scarlet Knights really want to enter that mix during this particular off-season?
If Flood is indeed relieved of his duties, though, we feel strongly about Wisconsin’s chances here with North Carolina working as a dark horse. At 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds, the Badgers aren’t worried about the specific position and would figure out how to use Rene on defense when he arrived on campus.
Working on a tight schedule
Two other official visitors on the guest list — running back C.J. Freeman and cornerback Myles Wolfolk — are working on tighter timelines with early graduations on their schedule. At the same time, both are also waiting to see what happens at their respective schools. A South Carolina commit, Freeman wants to see who replaces Steve Spurrier; the same with Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech, the school Wolfolk is currently committed to.
If the Hokies new coach retains assistant coach Torrian Gray (a Tech graduate), there’s a strong chance Wolfolk sticks with his current commitment, we’re told. But if he’s forced out, Wisconsin, Maryland and North Carolina will be strong contenders. With Freeman, there’s a draw to play closer to home and he truly does like South Carolina as a school. But Wisconsin made a huge impression on him this weekend, most notably in the aspects outside the football program.
“They think I can be a good asset to the program, but they also think I can be a great fit for the Wisconsin community and school, which was a great compliment,” Freeman told BadgerBlitz.com. “They think the whole community would love me here."
On the other side of the glass, we’re told the staff was very impressed with how Freeman carried himself all weekend. “Great fit,” is what one source said when asked about the visit.
Freeman wants to decide around Dec. 18? Will a new coach be in place in Columbia by then? Stay tuned.
Transfer talk is alive again
In a previous edition of Whispers this summer, we wrote about a potential transfer on the Wisconsin basketball team. As some guessed, it was indeed Riley Dearring whose name was being tossed around by sources close to the program.
After a noticeable uptick in the time and effort he put into the off-season, Dearring felt he had done enough to earn minutes this season, especially with a huge need behind backcourt starters Bronson Koenig and Zak Showalter. Through five games, however, the redshirt freshman has only seen action in two games and is averaging just as many minutes (2) per contest.
As a result, we’re once again hearing transfer talk. But this time, it’s coming from people close to Dearring. This summer, we’re told, it was the coaches who were looking to move forward, while Dearring was happy with his role on the team. Fast-forward a few months and with the the way the season has unfolded early on, a source indicated the Minnesota native is looking to find a new school as early as the start of the spring semester.
Now, while Dearring may want to speed the process up, it will be difficult for him to find a home with a scholarship available come 2016. Most teams have allocated those vacant offers to walk-ons who would carry that agreement throughout the second term. Should he want to leave bad enough, Dearring may have to walk on for a semester and then go on scholarship in the fall of 2016. So far, we’ve heard Drake as a school of interest, but calls are still being placed.
So what does that do for Wisconsin? Well, probably not a ton right away. Should Dearring indeed transfer — and by no means is anything official — the staff could use his scholarship right away in the 2016 class. But after missing on a number of targets already, there may not be even one player UW elects to use a scholarship on from the senior crop, let alone two.
In all likelihood, that scholarship would be banked for the 2017 class, where UW could have as many as six offers available. That’s a monster number, though, and Wisconsin may find a way to balance things moving forward. The Badgers have a commitment from in-state shooting guard Kobe King in the junior class with known offers out to Justin Smith, Kyle Young and Anthony Longpre.
I’m sure the question will come: Is this the reason why true freshman Brevin Pritzl, despite an injury this fall, has already burned his redshirt? We were not able to confirm that, but it certainly could be a reason.
Odds and ends
*K.J. Sails is back on the market after backing away from his pledge to Iowa. And while he was a top target for Wisconsin for some time, we’re told the staff is now much more focused on Rene, Wolfolk and a few other defensive back targets.
The door is not completely shut, but it would be surprising to see the three-star prospect wind up at UW.
*The more intel I gather on Thomas Schaffer, the more I believe he’ll wind up on the West Coast. Wisconsin is absolutely a contender, but I feel like Stanford is going to come out on top here.
*Should position coach John Settle extend another offer in his running back search, we’re told Illinois commit Kentrail Moran could be next in line. Should a scholarship come through, UW could immediately become a threat to flip him from the Illini.
*I fully expect Jack Popp to jump on his preferred walk-on offer from the Badgers. Wisconsin likes the 6-foot-3, 200-pound all-state performer at wide receiver.
Of the five official visitors on campus this weekend, Wisconsin made arguably the biggest impact on four-star defensive back Patrice Rene. We communicated with a source close to the situation Sunday who said Rene was close to committing while in Madison. And then the current Rutgers pledge went on record with that thought Monday morning.
"I was pretty close to flipping," Rene told Rivals.com. "I've been in contact with them for a couple months now. Coach (Daronte) Jones does a good job recruiting me and I just love what they're all about. I had a really good vibe. I felt comfortable and it felt like home. It was definitely tough to restrain myself and not do anything drastic without talking to my parents and coaches. That visit was a very good one and I was impressed."
One of the reasons, we’re told, that Rene gave a strong thought to a potential commitment was the fact that Wisconsin didn’t pressure him into making a move. The staff advised him to talk with his parents and make sure he was making the right choice, which Rene appreciated, we’re told. Additionally, Jones has been on Rene for some time, so there’s an established relationship there that continued to grow this past weekend.
So what happens after the buzz of the official? Right now, it will have a lot to do with what happens with Kyle Flood at Rutgers. At the start of the year, it seemed only a matter of time before Flood would be looking for other work. But with as much coaching turnover that already exists in college football, do the Scarlet Knights really want to enter that mix during this particular off-season?
If Flood is indeed relieved of his duties, though, we feel strongly about Wisconsin’s chances here with North Carolina working as a dark horse. At 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds, the Badgers aren’t worried about the specific position and would figure out how to use Rene on defense when he arrived on campus.
Working on a tight schedule
Two other official visitors on the guest list — running back C.J. Freeman and cornerback Myles Wolfolk — are working on tighter timelines with early graduations on their schedule. At the same time, both are also waiting to see what happens at their respective schools. A South Carolina commit, Freeman wants to see who replaces Steve Spurrier; the same with Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech, the school Wolfolk is currently committed to.
If the Hokies new coach retains assistant coach Torrian Gray (a Tech graduate), there’s a strong chance Wolfolk sticks with his current commitment, we’re told. But if he’s forced out, Wisconsin, Maryland and North Carolina will be strong contenders. With Freeman, there’s a draw to play closer to home and he truly does like South Carolina as a school. But Wisconsin made a huge impression on him this weekend, most notably in the aspects outside the football program.
“They think I can be a good asset to the program, but they also think I can be a great fit for the Wisconsin community and school, which was a great compliment,” Freeman told BadgerBlitz.com. “They think the whole community would love me here."
On the other side of the glass, we’re told the staff was very impressed with how Freeman carried himself all weekend. “Great fit,” is what one source said when asked about the visit.
Freeman wants to decide around Dec. 18? Will a new coach be in place in Columbia by then? Stay tuned.
Transfer talk is alive again
In a previous edition of Whispers this summer, we wrote about a potential transfer on the Wisconsin basketball team. As some guessed, it was indeed Riley Dearring whose name was being tossed around by sources close to the program.
After a noticeable uptick in the time and effort he put into the off-season, Dearring felt he had done enough to earn minutes this season, especially with a huge need behind backcourt starters Bronson Koenig and Zak Showalter. Through five games, however, the redshirt freshman has only seen action in two games and is averaging just as many minutes (2) per contest.
As a result, we’re once again hearing transfer talk. But this time, it’s coming from people close to Dearring. This summer, we’re told, it was the coaches who were looking to move forward, while Dearring was happy with his role on the team. Fast-forward a few months and with the the way the season has unfolded early on, a source indicated the Minnesota native is looking to find a new school as early as the start of the spring semester.
Now, while Dearring may want to speed the process up, it will be difficult for him to find a home with a scholarship available come 2016. Most teams have allocated those vacant offers to walk-ons who would carry that agreement throughout the second term. Should he want to leave bad enough, Dearring may have to walk on for a semester and then go on scholarship in the fall of 2016. So far, we’ve heard Drake as a school of interest, but calls are still being placed.
So what does that do for Wisconsin? Well, probably not a ton right away. Should Dearring indeed transfer — and by no means is anything official — the staff could use his scholarship right away in the 2016 class. But after missing on a number of targets already, there may not be even one player UW elects to use a scholarship on from the senior crop, let alone two.
In all likelihood, that scholarship would be banked for the 2017 class, where UW could have as many as six offers available. That’s a monster number, though, and Wisconsin may find a way to balance things moving forward. The Badgers have a commitment from in-state shooting guard Kobe King in the junior class with known offers out to Justin Smith, Kyle Young and Anthony Longpre.
I’m sure the question will come: Is this the reason why true freshman Brevin Pritzl, despite an injury this fall, has already burned his redshirt? We were not able to confirm that, but it certainly could be a reason.
Odds and ends
*K.J. Sails is back on the market after backing away from his pledge to Iowa. And while he was a top target for Wisconsin for some time, we’re told the staff is now much more focused on Rene, Wolfolk and a few other defensive back targets.
The door is not completely shut, but it would be surprising to see the three-star prospect wind up at UW.
*The more intel I gather on Thomas Schaffer, the more I believe he’ll wind up on the West Coast. Wisconsin is absolutely a contender, but I feel like Stanford is going to come out on top here.
*Should position coach John Settle extend another offer in his running back search, we’re told Illinois commit Kentrail Moran could be next in line. Should a scholarship come through, UW could immediately become a threat to flip him from the Illini.
*I fully expect Jack Popp to jump on his preferred walk-on offer from the Badgers. Wisconsin likes the 6-foot-3, 200-pound all-state performer at wide receiver.
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