Badgers fading with Tyler Herro … but there’s plenty of time
I had a chance to get out and watch Wisconsin football commit Alex Fenton play in Greendale Thursday evening. At the game, I was able to sit with some people who are well connected with basketball in the Woodland Conference, which is home to Whitnall High School, which is home to four-star junior Tyler Herro.
We talked back and forth about the AAU season; Brad Davison’s big spring and summer, Jordan McCabe committing to West Virginia and a handful of other things. Then the source brought up Herro and his recent offer from Arizona.
From what I’ve been told in the past, a scholarship from the Wildcats was something Herro has been looking for since the beginning of his recruitment. The source confirmed that and shed some more perspective on his recruitment.
The Badgers, according to the source, jumped out to a lead after Greg Gard offered last December. That momentum, we’re told, carried through the spring and into the summer, right up until Davison’s pledge to UW, according to the source.
The talk around Herro’s camp is that he’s not thrilled about Gard adding players to the backcourt in the last two classes – D’Mitrik Trice in 2016 and Kobe King and Davison in 2017. If Herro were to play in Madison, he’d have the three players mentioned in front of him, as well as Brevin Pritzl, who redshirted this past season. Additionally, Herro isn’t sure if UW’s offense best suits his skill set and desire to play right away.
The source went on to say his current list stands as follows: No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 Marquette and No. 3 Wisconsin. In the 2018 class, Zona has offered guards Brandon Williams, Tre Jones, Quinten Grimes, Immanuel Quickley and Javonte Smart, in addition to Herro. As for Marquette, its offer sheet only includes three other players outside of Herro.
Now what does this mean for Wisconsin? Well, let’s start by noting that Herro, according to the source – and plenty of other people I’ve spoken to – wants to take all five of his official visits. He’s not close to narrowing his focus and is enjoying his recruitment.
And though it would hurt to see a player of Herro’s caliber leave Wisconsin, or stay inside the state and play in Milwaukee, in the eyes of UW fans, it wouldn’t necessarily be the end of the world. As mentioned above, with (likely) two scholarships available in the 2018 class, the Badgers don’t really need a guard in that cycle, but a scorer like Herro isn’t someone you pass on when he’s located in your backyard.
The biggest area of need in 2018 is the frontcourt, where Alex Illikainen, Andy Van Vliet, Ethan Happ and Charlie Thomas would all be heading into their senior seasons when that crop arrived on campus. That’s why it makes sense that Joey Hauser was the first player offered in the junior class. Additionally, it could be argued that landing an athletic small forward, someone like Isaiah Kelly, would be more important than a guard.
Should Herro go elsewhere, there’s a number of intriguing prospects whom the Badgers have been evaluating, a group that includes Carlos Curtis, Keshawn Justice, Gabe Kalscheur, Noah Locke, Race Thomas, Nate Laszewski and Daniel Oturu, among others.
Again, still early in Herro’s recruitment, but that’s the buzz heading into his junior year.
Insider notes from fall camp, by John Veldhuis
We're deep in the weeds of fall camp now, with less than two weeks to go until Wisconsin takes on LSU at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. But the Badgers still have a few question marks to sort out between now and Sept. 3, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.
The big question mark is at quarterback, where Bart Houston and Alex Hornibrook have basically been pacing each other for most of camp. But at this point in time I see no reason to change from our original prediction that it will be Houston starting under center for the Badgers against the Tigers.
Last week, in particular, was critical for both players. Hornibrook clearly outplayed Houston during UW's scrimmage on Monday, and at the time it felt like Hornibrook was at a turning point: if he played like that the rest of the way through camp there was a good chance he could win the job. But Houston bounced back quickly: since Monday's scrimmage Houston completed 59.2 percent of his passes in team drills with a 2-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio, whereas Hornibrook completed 55.5 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and four picks. It's the interceptions that stand out the most to me - when Hornibrook was making up ground in the spring he was taking better care of the ball, and it's always felt as though Hornibrook needed to clearly out-play Houston to win the job.
There's still not a major talent difference between the two, and we don't have a full picture because the Badgers have closed more practices this year than last year. But based on what I have seen in the last week it feels like Houston has the momentum and can lock up his job with another strong week. Wisconsin is scheduled to have at least one more open practice on Monday, with a chance for an additional open practice on Tuesday if they decide to scrimmage. We'll just have to see what the next week holds.
Other notes:
-- I've mentioned it in practice reports as well, but I think it's still going a little under the radar that Taiwan Deal is playing very well. He's made a big step forward since last fall. With Deal, Chris James and Bradrick Shaw set to return in 2017, I wouldn't be surprised if next year's backfield is better than this year's rotation. Shaw is also playing well, but I don't know how much work UW will have for him this year.
-- I continue to believe Ryan Ramczyk is about as good as advertised at left tackle. The left side of their line should be very solid this year. The right side (Beau Benzschawel at guard and Jacob Maxwell at right tackle) should be fine as well; they just need to get more reps together.
-- Of the three freshmen wide receivers, Quintez Cephus has impressed me the most when he's on the field, but A.J. Taylor is definitely closer to playing time. Taylor just needs to fix a few drop issues but with four older wide receivers above him on the depth chart, I'm not sure how many snaps there will be left over for him to have this year.
-- The Badgers are getting Garrett Rand a lot of reps this camp by design - they think he can contribute this year behind Olive Sagapolu, which means Jeremy Patterson has basically been passed twice on the depth chart by younger players. Don't be surprised if a transfer is in his future at some point - there's just not a wide lane to playing time for him at the moment. And while you love having a 340-pound nose guard, Patterson isn’t carrying his weight very well right now.
-- Ryan Connelly has been a very solid back up inside linebacker this fall, and has benefitted from getting the extra reps with T.J. Edwards sidelined. Defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox said after practice on Saturday that Edwards will probably need practice reps before he plays in a game, and while he's out of the walking boot I wouldn't bet on him playing against LSU.
-- The Badgers still need to settle on a starting punter, and it sounds as if both P.J. Rosowski and Anthony Lotti have been battling hard for the job. Special teams coach Chris Haering said Saturday that day-to-day consistency is going to play a big role in which player he goes with, and we've heard Lotti has stacked a few good practices together in a row.
-- Rafael Gaglianone has been on fire the last few days. He looks as good as we've seen him since he got on to campus two years ago.
More buzz around Jonathan Taylor
With Alabama transfer Christian Bell eating up another scholarship, spots are at a premium in the 2017 recruiting class. Running back remains vacant, though we’re told the staff is ready to turn the heat up on Jonathan Taylor.
The Rutgers commit from New Jersey informed BadgerBlitz.com that he picked up an official offer from UW, but did not comment when asked if he had scheduled an official visit. Reading between the lines, the three-star back, who has always been upfront in regards to his recruitment, could quietly be planning an official to Madison. Should that happen in the near future, look for the staff to successfully squeeze a flip out of the 5-foot-10, 201-pound senior.
Recruits at Lambeau
Wisconsin is using its season opener against LSU in Green Bay as a recruiting tool, though the staff won’t be allowed to converse with any prospects in attendance, per NCAA rules. We’re told Wisconsin has a limited amount of room for recruits, but two who plan on being attendance are Michigan youngsters Mazi Smith and Logan Brown. Their high school coach East Kentwood High School confirmed this news with BadgerBlitz.com.
You may remember me writing about these two this summer after Wisconsin’s first camp. Smith, a projected defensive tackle and Brown, an offensive tackle, both earned scholarships after their performances.
I had a chance to get out and watch Wisconsin football commit Alex Fenton play in Greendale Thursday evening. At the game, I was able to sit with some people who are well connected with basketball in the Woodland Conference, which is home to Whitnall High School, which is home to four-star junior Tyler Herro.
We talked back and forth about the AAU season; Brad Davison’s big spring and summer, Jordan McCabe committing to West Virginia and a handful of other things. Then the source brought up Herro and his recent offer from Arizona.
From what I’ve been told in the past, a scholarship from the Wildcats was something Herro has been looking for since the beginning of his recruitment. The source confirmed that and shed some more perspective on his recruitment.
The Badgers, according to the source, jumped out to a lead after Greg Gard offered last December. That momentum, we’re told, carried through the spring and into the summer, right up until Davison’s pledge to UW, according to the source.
The talk around Herro’s camp is that he’s not thrilled about Gard adding players to the backcourt in the last two classes – D’Mitrik Trice in 2016 and Kobe King and Davison in 2017. If Herro were to play in Madison, he’d have the three players mentioned in front of him, as well as Brevin Pritzl, who redshirted this past season. Additionally, Herro isn’t sure if UW’s offense best suits his skill set and desire to play right away.
The source went on to say his current list stands as follows: No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 Marquette and No. 3 Wisconsin. In the 2018 class, Zona has offered guards Brandon Williams, Tre Jones, Quinten Grimes, Immanuel Quickley and Javonte Smart, in addition to Herro. As for Marquette, its offer sheet only includes three other players outside of Herro.
Now what does this mean for Wisconsin? Well, let’s start by noting that Herro, according to the source – and plenty of other people I’ve spoken to – wants to take all five of his official visits. He’s not close to narrowing his focus and is enjoying his recruitment.
And though it would hurt to see a player of Herro’s caliber leave Wisconsin, or stay inside the state and play in Milwaukee, in the eyes of UW fans, it wouldn’t necessarily be the end of the world. As mentioned above, with (likely) two scholarships available in the 2018 class, the Badgers don’t really need a guard in that cycle, but a scorer like Herro isn’t someone you pass on when he’s located in your backyard.
The biggest area of need in 2018 is the frontcourt, where Alex Illikainen, Andy Van Vliet, Ethan Happ and Charlie Thomas would all be heading into their senior seasons when that crop arrived on campus. That’s why it makes sense that Joey Hauser was the first player offered in the junior class. Additionally, it could be argued that landing an athletic small forward, someone like Isaiah Kelly, would be more important than a guard.
Should Herro go elsewhere, there’s a number of intriguing prospects whom the Badgers have been evaluating, a group that includes Carlos Curtis, Keshawn Justice, Gabe Kalscheur, Noah Locke, Race Thomas, Nate Laszewski and Daniel Oturu, among others.
Again, still early in Herro’s recruitment, but that’s the buzz heading into his junior year.
Insider notes from fall camp, by John Veldhuis
We're deep in the weeds of fall camp now, with less than two weeks to go until Wisconsin takes on LSU at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. But the Badgers still have a few question marks to sort out between now and Sept. 3, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.
The big question mark is at quarterback, where Bart Houston and Alex Hornibrook have basically been pacing each other for most of camp. But at this point in time I see no reason to change from our original prediction that it will be Houston starting under center for the Badgers against the Tigers.
Last week, in particular, was critical for both players. Hornibrook clearly outplayed Houston during UW's scrimmage on Monday, and at the time it felt like Hornibrook was at a turning point: if he played like that the rest of the way through camp there was a good chance he could win the job. But Houston bounced back quickly: since Monday's scrimmage Houston completed 59.2 percent of his passes in team drills with a 2-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio, whereas Hornibrook completed 55.5 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and four picks. It's the interceptions that stand out the most to me - when Hornibrook was making up ground in the spring he was taking better care of the ball, and it's always felt as though Hornibrook needed to clearly out-play Houston to win the job.
There's still not a major talent difference between the two, and we don't have a full picture because the Badgers have closed more practices this year than last year. But based on what I have seen in the last week it feels like Houston has the momentum and can lock up his job with another strong week. Wisconsin is scheduled to have at least one more open practice on Monday, with a chance for an additional open practice on Tuesday if they decide to scrimmage. We'll just have to see what the next week holds.
Other notes:
-- I've mentioned it in practice reports as well, but I think it's still going a little under the radar that Taiwan Deal is playing very well. He's made a big step forward since last fall. With Deal, Chris James and Bradrick Shaw set to return in 2017, I wouldn't be surprised if next year's backfield is better than this year's rotation. Shaw is also playing well, but I don't know how much work UW will have for him this year.
-- I continue to believe Ryan Ramczyk is about as good as advertised at left tackle. The left side of their line should be very solid this year. The right side (Beau Benzschawel at guard and Jacob Maxwell at right tackle) should be fine as well; they just need to get more reps together.
-- Of the three freshmen wide receivers, Quintez Cephus has impressed me the most when he's on the field, but A.J. Taylor is definitely closer to playing time. Taylor just needs to fix a few drop issues but with four older wide receivers above him on the depth chart, I'm not sure how many snaps there will be left over for him to have this year.
-- The Badgers are getting Garrett Rand a lot of reps this camp by design - they think he can contribute this year behind Olive Sagapolu, which means Jeremy Patterson has basically been passed twice on the depth chart by younger players. Don't be surprised if a transfer is in his future at some point - there's just not a wide lane to playing time for him at the moment. And while you love having a 340-pound nose guard, Patterson isn’t carrying his weight very well right now.
-- Ryan Connelly has been a very solid back up inside linebacker this fall, and has benefitted from getting the extra reps with T.J. Edwards sidelined. Defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox said after practice on Saturday that Edwards will probably need practice reps before he plays in a game, and while he's out of the walking boot I wouldn't bet on him playing against LSU.
-- The Badgers still need to settle on a starting punter, and it sounds as if both P.J. Rosowski and Anthony Lotti have been battling hard for the job. Special teams coach Chris Haering said Saturday that day-to-day consistency is going to play a big role in which player he goes with, and we've heard Lotti has stacked a few good practices together in a row.
-- Rafael Gaglianone has been on fire the last few days. He looks as good as we've seen him since he got on to campus two years ago.
More buzz around Jonathan Taylor
With Alabama transfer Christian Bell eating up another scholarship, spots are at a premium in the 2017 recruiting class. Running back remains vacant, though we’re told the staff is ready to turn the heat up on Jonathan Taylor.
The Rutgers commit from New Jersey informed BadgerBlitz.com that he picked up an official offer from UW, but did not comment when asked if he had scheduled an official visit. Reading between the lines, the three-star back, who has always been upfront in regards to his recruitment, could quietly be planning an official to Madison. Should that happen in the near future, look for the staff to successfully squeeze a flip out of the 5-foot-10, 201-pound senior.
Recruits at Lambeau
Wisconsin is using its season opener against LSU in Green Bay as a recruiting tool, though the staff won’t be allowed to converse with any prospects in attendance, per NCAA rules. We’re told Wisconsin has a limited amount of room for recruits, but two who plan on being attendance are Michigan youngsters Mazi Smith and Logan Brown. Their high school coach East Kentwood High School confirmed this news with BadgerBlitz.com.
You may remember me writing about these two this summer after Wisconsin’s first camp. Smith, a projected defensive tackle and Brown, an offensive tackle, both earned scholarships after their performances.
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