Shifting gears to 2017
It’s still too early to gather a whole lot of long-term information about Wisconsin’s 2017 recruiting class, especially with the void on the coaching staff left by Daronte Jones. But we did get some concrete answers from the Badgers’ most recent junior day last month.
In-state recruiting is clearly an area of emphasis for Paul Chryst and he made sure to hand out face-to-face scholarships to Tyler Beach, Logan Bruss, Aaron Vopal and Alex Fenton. Vopal, a projected defensive end, already committed, and we’re told the staff feels confident about the remaining three — one, in particular, is inching closer to an upcoming decision, according to a source. The staff is also in a good spot, as expected, with Madison Memorial’s Jake Ferguson, though we’re told he’s in no hurry to make a commitment. At the same time, Chryst is in no hurry to push for an answer.
So what other prospects from inside the state should we keep an eye on down the road, either at camp this summer or into the fall? We’re told the next tier includes three juniors: offensive lineman Jonathan Gruetzmacher and wide receivers Terrell Carey and Zach Clayton — all three of whom were at UW’s junior day last month.
A 6-foot-8, 275-pound tackle from Merrill, Gruetzmacher has early offers from Eastern Michigan and Illinois State, with strong interest coming from a handful of schools in the Big Ten. He’s visited Madison unofficially a handful of times and should Bruss, Beach or Fenton commit elsewhere, Gruetzmacher could be the next in line, though the focus would likely turn to prospects from outside the state.
Carey is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound receiver in the Badgers’ backyard (West High School). He lists an offer from Purdue, though “strong interest” is probably more accurate. Regardless, the three-star prospect has talent that state doesn’t consistently produce. Carey has talked about transferring to powerhouse IMG Academy for his senior season, though that’s not quite set in stone.
“I'm still deciding on it,” Carey told BadgerBlitz.com. “I'll be taking a visit to IMG in late March or early April.”
IMG had no less than 18 athletes sign Division 1 football scholarships from the 2016 class, a list that included the No. 1 quarterback (Shea Patterson), tight end (Isaac Nauta) and linebacker (Rahshaun Smith), along with the No. 2 defensive back (Saivion Smith) in the country. In 2017, the Academy is equally as loaded with four-star receivers Jhamon Ausbon and Emmanuel Greene already in the mix, along with blue-chipper Brian Hightower in the 2018 class. One might argue Carey would garner more exposure staying at West, but we’ll see where he ends up this fall.
Clayton, 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, is one of the most intriguing athletes in the state. He’s already committed to Oregon State — not to former Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen, but to Pat Casey and the Beavers’ baseball program. But in football, he was an all-sate selection this fall, racking up over 1,000 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns through the air from all-state quarterback Ben Nienhuis. Clayton also plays basketball for the Raccoons.
We’re hearing he’s solidly committed to playing baseball in college, but Clayton had enough interest in the Badgers to make the visit to campus. It will be interesting to see if the staff can get him on campus for camp this summer in order to make a better evaluation.
Clayton reminds me a bit of Cedarburg’s Jonathan Stiever from the 2015 class; an all-state football player who ended up at Indiana to play baseball.
Kayden Lyles sweepstakes
Wisconsin commit Kayden Lyles is indeed coming back to the Madison area after attending high school in Arizona the past three years. But when news of this broke from an Arizona outlet a few weeks ago, no one in the Lyles camp was too happy. Not because it wasn’t true, but because Kayden’s mother, we’re told, had yet to inform her current employer of the decision.
So with the impending move on the horizon, many are waiting to hear what high school Kayden winds up at. From what we’re hearing, Middleton will be the new home for the four-star lineman, though that is not yet 100 percent official. Should that indeed happen, though, Lyles would team up with fellow 2017 standout Joe Ludwig, who also attended UW’s junior day in January.
Odds and ends
*Updates in regards to Jones’ replacement have been pretty quiet. But we have been told two things: 1) Chryst was aware of Jones’ desire to one day coach in the NFL. And 2) New coordinator Justin Wilcox could coach the defensive backs, allowing Chryst move flexibility in making the new hire.
*Until Lyles arrives in Wisconsin, Beach will be ranked as the top in-state prospect in the 2017 class. Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt is ready to give the Port Washington standout a four-star ranking when the new updates are released.
*With the elite in-state prospects already taken care of, we’re told the staff will have an out-of-state junior day some time in March. The guest list is expected to be heavy on prospects from Illinois, Minnesota and Ohio, among other states.
*Just about everyone who follows the Wisconsin basketball program is ready to give Greg Gard the head coaching job permanently. And to no surprise, he has the full backing from the Badgers’ locker room.
“Yes, 100 percent,” a source said after UW’s win over No. 2 Maryland. “They (players) love him.”
*And speaking of IMG Academy, that is where 2018 defensive tackle Taron Vincent now calls home. The four-star prospect and son of former Wisconsin defensive back Troy Vincent already holds an offer from the Badgers.
It’s still too early to gather a whole lot of long-term information about Wisconsin’s 2017 recruiting class, especially with the void on the coaching staff left by Daronte Jones. But we did get some concrete answers from the Badgers’ most recent junior day last month.
In-state recruiting is clearly an area of emphasis for Paul Chryst and he made sure to hand out face-to-face scholarships to Tyler Beach, Logan Bruss, Aaron Vopal and Alex Fenton. Vopal, a projected defensive end, already committed, and we’re told the staff feels confident about the remaining three — one, in particular, is inching closer to an upcoming decision, according to a source. The staff is also in a good spot, as expected, with Madison Memorial’s Jake Ferguson, though we’re told he’s in no hurry to make a commitment. At the same time, Chryst is in no hurry to push for an answer.
So what other prospects from inside the state should we keep an eye on down the road, either at camp this summer or into the fall? We’re told the next tier includes three juniors: offensive lineman Jonathan Gruetzmacher and wide receivers Terrell Carey and Zach Clayton — all three of whom were at UW’s junior day last month.
A 6-foot-8, 275-pound tackle from Merrill, Gruetzmacher has early offers from Eastern Michigan and Illinois State, with strong interest coming from a handful of schools in the Big Ten. He’s visited Madison unofficially a handful of times and should Bruss, Beach or Fenton commit elsewhere, Gruetzmacher could be the next in line, though the focus would likely turn to prospects from outside the state.
Carey is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound receiver in the Badgers’ backyard (West High School). He lists an offer from Purdue, though “strong interest” is probably more accurate. Regardless, the three-star prospect has talent that state doesn’t consistently produce. Carey has talked about transferring to powerhouse IMG Academy for his senior season, though that’s not quite set in stone.
“I'm still deciding on it,” Carey told BadgerBlitz.com. “I'll be taking a visit to IMG in late March or early April.”
IMG had no less than 18 athletes sign Division 1 football scholarships from the 2016 class, a list that included the No. 1 quarterback (Shea Patterson), tight end (Isaac Nauta) and linebacker (Rahshaun Smith), along with the No. 2 defensive back (Saivion Smith) in the country. In 2017, the Academy is equally as loaded with four-star receivers Jhamon Ausbon and Emmanuel Greene already in the mix, along with blue-chipper Brian Hightower in the 2018 class. One might argue Carey would garner more exposure staying at West, but we’ll see where he ends up this fall.
Clayton, 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, is one of the most intriguing athletes in the state. He’s already committed to Oregon State — not to former Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen, but to Pat Casey and the Beavers’ baseball program. But in football, he was an all-sate selection this fall, racking up over 1,000 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns through the air from all-state quarterback Ben Nienhuis. Clayton also plays basketball for the Raccoons.
We’re hearing he’s solidly committed to playing baseball in college, but Clayton had enough interest in the Badgers to make the visit to campus. It will be interesting to see if the staff can get him on campus for camp this summer in order to make a better evaluation.
Clayton reminds me a bit of Cedarburg’s Jonathan Stiever from the 2015 class; an all-state football player who ended up at Indiana to play baseball.
Kayden Lyles sweepstakes
Wisconsin commit Kayden Lyles is indeed coming back to the Madison area after attending high school in Arizona the past three years. But when news of this broke from an Arizona outlet a few weeks ago, no one in the Lyles camp was too happy. Not because it wasn’t true, but because Kayden’s mother, we’re told, had yet to inform her current employer of the decision.
So with the impending move on the horizon, many are waiting to hear what high school Kayden winds up at. From what we’re hearing, Middleton will be the new home for the four-star lineman, though that is not yet 100 percent official. Should that indeed happen, though, Lyles would team up with fellow 2017 standout Joe Ludwig, who also attended UW’s junior day in January.
Odds and ends
*Updates in regards to Jones’ replacement have been pretty quiet. But we have been told two things: 1) Chryst was aware of Jones’ desire to one day coach in the NFL. And 2) New coordinator Justin Wilcox could coach the defensive backs, allowing Chryst move flexibility in making the new hire.
*Until Lyles arrives in Wisconsin, Beach will be ranked as the top in-state prospect in the 2017 class. Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt is ready to give the Port Washington standout a four-star ranking when the new updates are released.
*With the elite in-state prospects already taken care of, we’re told the staff will have an out-of-state junior day some time in March. The guest list is expected to be heavy on prospects from Illinois, Minnesota and Ohio, among other states.
*Just about everyone who follows the Wisconsin basketball program is ready to give Greg Gard the head coaching job permanently. And to no surprise, he has the full backing from the Badgers’ locker room.
“Yes, 100 percent,” a source said after UW’s win over No. 2 Maryland. “They (players) love him.”
*And speaking of IMG Academy, that is where 2018 defensive tackle Taron Vincent now calls home. The four-star prospect and son of former Wisconsin defensive back Troy Vincent already holds an offer from the Badgers.
