A sense of urgency
The Wisconsin coaching staff doesn’t plan on waiting until the 11th hour for the final commitments to roll in from the 2016 recruiting class. Sitting on 21 pledges with roughly four spots remaining, head coach Paul Chryst is looking to lock up the final areas of need, specifically at the cornerback position.
Defensive coordinator Dave Aranda made two important visits this week with targets K.J. Sails and Carlos Becker while in Florida. According to a source, after aggressive in-homes with each failed to produce significant progress toward a commitment, offers were extended to LaVert Hill and, most recently, Dontye Carriere-Williams on Saturday.
Carriere-Williams, a current Cincinnati pledge, is absolutely one to watch moving forward. Line coach Inoke Breckterfield knew an offer could produce a commitment, and the Badgers are willing to take that as early as this coming weekend.
A 5-foot-10, 174-pound prospect from St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida, Carriere-Williams told BadgerBlitz.com he’d like to take an official visit to Madison this upcoming weekend. The only roadblock there could be Aquinas’ game against Viera on Friday evening (Dec. 11). That would likely push an official to Saturday, something, though, not out of the ordinary for out-of-state officials.
Should Carriere-Williams make it to campus as expected, he’ll have 13 (anticipated) other Badgers’ commits on campus to converse with all weekend. The 13 reflect the pledges yet to take their official, and UW commonly uses the banquet weekend after the regular season to host long-time commits.
Carriere-Williams, according to a source, has been waiting for this offer to come through since Wisconsin started to show initial interest. He’s still committed to the Bearcats, but has yet to take his official trip to Cincinnati and a flip is expected if the visit to Madison does indeed go down this weekend.
Should UW lock Carriere-Williams in, he’ll join Ke’Shan Pennamon as projected corners in the 2016 class. We’re told there could be room for one more, a scenario more plausible with Malik Harrison likely headed to Ohio State after its recent offer.
Patrice Rene is arguably the top target for that final slot, and the staff is also expected to host Parnell Motely in January should there still be room. Minnesota commit Phillip Howard has also received attention this week, though an offer has not been extended.
Sails is eagerly awaiting potential offers from both Michigan and Florida State, while Becker is likely favoring North Carolina State and Kentucky. Wisconsin hasn’t moved past both prospects, but it doesn’t appear either will be part of this class.
Reason to worry?
Wisconsin was the first FBS university to show serious interest in wide receiver Quintez Cephus. Position coach Ted Gilmore has been around recruiting long enough to know the Badgers wouldn’t be the only school to reach out to the Georgia sleeper once he provided his commitment to UW.
That said, during the live contact period, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt contacted Cephus, among others.
“He’s (Cephus) handling it really well,” a source told BadgerBlitz.com. “We’ve told Vandy and GT that he’s good with Wisconsin.
“I think he’s all-in with Wisconsin.”
The in-state Bulldogs, though an attractive option for any prospect from the Peach State, are going through a coaching transition with Kirby Smart set to take over the program. Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt visited Cephus for Georgia prior to that hire.
“UGA was in the other day to see him,” the same source said. “But with that situation so shaky, I don’t think Wisconsin has anything to worry about.”
As it stands, the Badgers feel confident about signing Cephus, one of three projected wide outs in the class, come February.
Wisconsin continues to evaluate 2016 basketball talent
We’ve heard the unsigned names from the Midwest currently on Wisconsin’s recruiting board in the current senior class: Justin Thomas, Maishe Dailey, Skyler Nash, Nick Rakocevic, Andre Wesson and Kobe Gantz (a bit of a Midwest stretch being from Pennsylvania), among others.
But the most recent prospect to surface hails from outside the United States. Four-star forward Harry Froling, a native of Australia, has Wisconsin in his top four along with Illinois, SMU and Arizona, according to AUSA Hoops (AAU) coach Steve Ivimey, who confirmed the list with BadgerBlitz.com earlier this week.
Official visits are set for all four schools with UW getting the final trip on Jan. 16. At this point, it’s anyone’s guess where Froling is learning, but his sisters, Alicia and Keely, both play for SMU’s women’s basketball team. Despite a glaring need at point guard, Bo Ryan appears to be targeting “best available” with Froling.
Should the Badgers miss on the Aussie big man, they also have a new guard to keep an eye on. Jordan Long, a 6-foot-6, 165-pound senior from Tennessee, has been in contact with associate head coach Greg Gard, who scouted the projected lead guard on Dec. 1.
“Coach Gard came to my game and told me that they are very intrigued by me and they like me,” Long told BadgerBlitz.com. “He said they will be back to see me soon.”
According to Long, Auburn, Alabama, Southern Miss., Western Kentucky, Creighton, Tennessee and LSU have all been in contact, with Wisconsin, Southern Alabama and North Carolina all attending recent games. No official offers are on the table because Long has yet to take the ACT test.
“Friday I take the ACT for the first time and then in January, February and March if I need to,” Long said. “Most of those schools are going to offer after I take it.”
Should he post a qualifying score, Long could be a nice option for a Badgers’ squad in need of backcourt depth.
“I like Wisconsin a lot,” Long said. “My family is from up there on my mom’s side and I really like the coach. I’ll visit up there soon.”
Chryst in Arizona
Chryst was not able to meet with local media Sunday to discuss Wisconsin's upcoming Holiday Bowl against USC. Instead, he was in Arizona visiting commits Garret Rand and Kare' Lyles.
The Wisconsin coaching staff doesn’t plan on waiting until the 11th hour for the final commitments to roll in from the 2016 recruiting class. Sitting on 21 pledges with roughly four spots remaining, head coach Paul Chryst is looking to lock up the final areas of need, specifically at the cornerback position.
Defensive coordinator Dave Aranda made two important visits this week with targets K.J. Sails and Carlos Becker while in Florida. According to a source, after aggressive in-homes with each failed to produce significant progress toward a commitment, offers were extended to LaVert Hill and, most recently, Dontye Carriere-Williams on Saturday.
Carriere-Williams, a current Cincinnati pledge, is absolutely one to watch moving forward. Line coach Inoke Breckterfield knew an offer could produce a commitment, and the Badgers are willing to take that as early as this coming weekend.
A 5-foot-10, 174-pound prospect from St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida, Carriere-Williams told BadgerBlitz.com he’d like to take an official visit to Madison this upcoming weekend. The only roadblock there could be Aquinas’ game against Viera on Friday evening (Dec. 11). That would likely push an official to Saturday, something, though, not out of the ordinary for out-of-state officials.
Should Carriere-Williams make it to campus as expected, he’ll have 13 (anticipated) other Badgers’ commits on campus to converse with all weekend. The 13 reflect the pledges yet to take their official, and UW commonly uses the banquet weekend after the regular season to host long-time commits.
Carriere-Williams, according to a source, has been waiting for this offer to come through since Wisconsin started to show initial interest. He’s still committed to the Bearcats, but has yet to take his official trip to Cincinnati and a flip is expected if the visit to Madison does indeed go down this weekend.
Should UW lock Carriere-Williams in, he’ll join Ke’Shan Pennamon as projected corners in the 2016 class. We’re told there could be room for one more, a scenario more plausible with Malik Harrison likely headed to Ohio State after its recent offer.
Patrice Rene is arguably the top target for that final slot, and the staff is also expected to host Parnell Motely in January should there still be room. Minnesota commit Phillip Howard has also received attention this week, though an offer has not been extended.
Sails is eagerly awaiting potential offers from both Michigan and Florida State, while Becker is likely favoring North Carolina State and Kentucky. Wisconsin hasn’t moved past both prospects, but it doesn’t appear either will be part of this class.
Reason to worry?
Wisconsin was the first FBS university to show serious interest in wide receiver Quintez Cephus. Position coach Ted Gilmore has been around recruiting long enough to know the Badgers wouldn’t be the only school to reach out to the Georgia sleeper once he provided his commitment to UW.
That said, during the live contact period, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt contacted Cephus, among others.
“He’s (Cephus) handling it really well,” a source told BadgerBlitz.com. “We’ve told Vandy and GT that he’s good with Wisconsin.
“I think he’s all-in with Wisconsin.”
The in-state Bulldogs, though an attractive option for any prospect from the Peach State, are going through a coaching transition with Kirby Smart set to take over the program. Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt visited Cephus for Georgia prior to that hire.
“UGA was in the other day to see him,” the same source said. “But with that situation so shaky, I don’t think Wisconsin has anything to worry about.”
As it stands, the Badgers feel confident about signing Cephus, one of three projected wide outs in the class, come February.
Wisconsin continues to evaluate 2016 basketball talent
We’ve heard the unsigned names from the Midwest currently on Wisconsin’s recruiting board in the current senior class: Justin Thomas, Maishe Dailey, Skyler Nash, Nick Rakocevic, Andre Wesson and Kobe Gantz (a bit of a Midwest stretch being from Pennsylvania), among others.
But the most recent prospect to surface hails from outside the United States. Four-star forward Harry Froling, a native of Australia, has Wisconsin in his top four along with Illinois, SMU and Arizona, according to AUSA Hoops (AAU) coach Steve Ivimey, who confirmed the list with BadgerBlitz.com earlier this week.
Official visits are set for all four schools with UW getting the final trip on Jan. 16. At this point, it’s anyone’s guess where Froling is learning, but his sisters, Alicia and Keely, both play for SMU’s women’s basketball team. Despite a glaring need at point guard, Bo Ryan appears to be targeting “best available” with Froling.
Should the Badgers miss on the Aussie big man, they also have a new guard to keep an eye on. Jordan Long, a 6-foot-6, 165-pound senior from Tennessee, has been in contact with associate head coach Greg Gard, who scouted the projected lead guard on Dec. 1.
“Coach Gard came to my game and told me that they are very intrigued by me and they like me,” Long told BadgerBlitz.com. “He said they will be back to see me soon.”
According to Long, Auburn, Alabama, Southern Miss., Western Kentucky, Creighton, Tennessee and LSU have all been in contact, with Wisconsin, Southern Alabama and North Carolina all attending recent games. No official offers are on the table because Long has yet to take the ACT test.
“Friday I take the ACT for the first time and then in January, February and March if I need to,” Long said. “Most of those schools are going to offer after I take it.”
Should he post a qualifying score, Long could be a nice option for a Badgers’ squad in need of backcourt depth.
“I like Wisconsin a lot,” Long said. “My family is from up there on my mom’s side and I really like the coach. I’ll visit up there soon.”
Chryst in Arizona
Chryst was not able to meet with local media Sunday to discuss Wisconsin's upcoming Holiday Bowl against USC. Instead, he was in Arizona visiting commits Garret Rand and Kare' Lyles.
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