Settle’s cupboard (at least on paper) will be full
After barely scraping through the 2015 season at running back, position coach John Settle should have a full arsenal at his disposal for the next two-plus seasons.
Heading into spring camp, Wisconsin looks great on paper with Corey Clement, Dare Ogunbowale and Taiwan Deal, along with fullbacks Austin Ramesh and Alec Ingold, all of whom saw meaningful reps last fall, returning. Four-star Bradrick Shaw is also set to begin his first spring camp after a redshirt season and converted linebacker Leon Jacobs will work in the backfield — likely at both positions — next month.
More weapons are also arriving this summer. It’s been talked about for weeks, but the coaching staff now fully expects Chris James to join the mix in June. The former four-star prospect announced his intentions to transfer from Pittsburgh in December, and, according to a source, the Badgers were always at the top of his list, though he inquired about Iowa and Illinois as well. The source wouldn’t go as far saying the transfer “is a done deal,” but did note James is in the mix in terms of future planning/recruiting at the position.
From James’ side, we’re hearing the sophomore from Illinois is telling former Panthers teammates he’s headed to Madison at the conclusion of the spring semester. He’s still enrolled as a student at Pittsburgh as he works out a few academic wrinkles that prevented him from joining UW in January. Both sides don’t expect that to be an issue, though. James will be joined this summer by three-star Sam Brodner, the lone scholarship signee from the 2016 class at tailback, along with walk-on fullback Aaron Maternowski.
Now, if we know anything about college football, making a future depth chart can be risky. Remember when Wisconsin’s future at running back included Jordan Stevenson, Antonio Williams, Davon Crookshank and Caleb Kinlaw? But should the position remain in tact, here’s how things could look over the next two seasons:
2016
No. 1 Clement (senior)
No. 2 Ogunbowale (senior)
No. 3 Deal (sophomore)
No. 4 Shaw (freshman) or Jacobs (junior)
No. 5 Brodner (freshman — redshirt of special teams contributor)
2017
No. 1 Deal
No. 2/3 Shaw or Jacobs
No. 4 James
No. 5 Brodner
*We’ll see how Jacobs looks at tailback this spring, but I feel he’ll eventually work more as a fullback and H-back this fall based on need.
Gotta be Gard, right?
In a bit of a surprise, Wisconsin posted the head coaching vacancy for men’s hoops Thursday. The opening has an end date of March 3 and the earliest the position can be filled is March 8, though news likely won’t come out on that exact day.
So all signs point to Greg Gard, right? That’s certainly what we expect to happen, but this is what we’re hearing: Athletic director Barry Alvarez had his eyes focused on a national search at the start of the season and knew Bo Ryan stepping down mid-year was a possibility, according to a source. To no surprise, Virginia’s Tony Bennett was atop the wish list, but Alvarez was also attracted to a number of other candidates, particularly Northern Iowa’ Ben Jacobson.
But after wins in nine of the last 10 games, Alvarez, according to source, became more and more enamored with the current interim head coach. But it expands past the production on the court. We’re told that Alvarez was impressed with the “adjustments” Gard made when taking over and the positive results they’ve produced on the court and, more importantly, in the locker room. This wasn’t a dysfunctional group, by any means, but roles needed to be established and expectations laid out after losing the core group from two unbelievably successful seasons.
Finally, we’re told the players have made it no secret they want Gard to lead them past this season. This is a group that loses just one senior (Jordan Smith) and returns 11 players with current sophomore-or-younger eligibility. This overwhelming endorsement has been added to the equation in Gard’s favor.
Now, as far as the timing, Bennett, we’re told, may have communicated a final “no thank you” to Wisconsin. But that’s the vibe UW was feeling for much of the winter. Jacobson is still an intriguing option, but Gard’s performance may have elevated him above anyone not named Bennett.
On the recruiting front, look for Gard, if officially hired at some point next month, to attack the 2016 class as soon as the ink is dry on his contract. The staff has two scholarships to work with and strong need at point guard. We’re hearing Gard is intrigued by Kobe Gantz, but a number of prospects are still under evaluation, including a group of late bloomers from Illinois whom Howard Moore is tracking.
In the junior class, we’re told that Gard is big on Minnesota prospects Brad Davison (guard) and Nathan Reuvers (forward). Either or both could pick up an offer this spring or summer. Kobe King is the lone commit in the 2017 class and the in-state standout has made it known his pledge will remain solid should Gard take over at Wisconsin.
In 2018, retaining Gard permanently is expected to help with in-state standout Joey Hauser, whose older brother, Sam, was recruited by the Badgers. Gard, the lead contact, was in a difficult position during Sam’s recruitment with, at the time, just one vacant scholarship and a need a point guard. The Hausers, we’re told, appreciated Gard’s honesty and how he handled Sam’s recruitment. The eldest Hauser signed with Marquette and Joey also has an offer from the Golden Eagles.
The other big in-state target in the sophomore class is Tyler Herro, whom Gard elected to offer after taking over. The shooting guard from Whitnall High School has a strong bond with Gard and could be ready to commit at the conclusion of the AAU season, if not earlier. We’re told Herro wants to see what offers he can accumulate, though, this spring and summer; some feel his scholarship list could easily double once he plays in front of college coaches.
In-state tracker
We’ll include an in-state tracker for Whispers to keep an eye on offers for Wisconsin standouts.
*Kimberly defensive end Logan McCormick picked up his first offer from South Dakota State. He’s from the same high school as 2017 Wisconsin commit Logan Bruss.
*Menasha offensive lineman Mohammed Elazazy earned his first offer from Illinois State. His prep teammate, Luke Romnek, also picked up recent scholarships from Illinois State and Eastern Michigan.
*Baraboo linebacker Noah Larson now has an offer from Columbia.
*Racine Horlick offensive lineman Jordan Gallagher was offered by former UW-Whitewater head coach Lance Leipold, who is now the head man at Buffalo.
*Sussex Hamilton offensive tackle Calvin Dassow picked up recent offers from Eastern Michigan and Illinois State.
*Madison West wide receiver Terrell Carey also picked up an offer from Buffalo.
Odds and ends
*Two big out-of-state targets have scheduled visits to Wisconsin. Four-star quarterback Jack Coan will be in campus from March 11-12 and four-star running back A.J. Dillon on March 23. Both could very well be the top (and most realistic) targets for UW at their respective positions.
*Antoine Thompson, the Rivals Camp Series wide receiver MVP from Saturday’s tour stop in Florida, tells rivals.com that Wisconsin is his current leader. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound prospect also has offers from Bowling Green, Florida International and UCF, in addition to UW.
*One week ago, the coaching staff hosted 2017 in-state standouts Aaron Vopal, Logan Bruss, Alex Fenton and Tyler Beach for unofficial visits. Vopal was already committed, and Bruss and Fenton followed suit the following day. We’re told that while Beach doesn’t appear to be close to a decision, the staff feels very good about closing out his recruitment this spring or into the summer.
*New defensive backs Jim Leonhard wasted little time attacking his recruiting duties. His first known offer was extended to Florida defensive back Travion Leonard, and a number of other prospects are on his list. We’re told that group currently includes CJ Cotman, Damani Neal, Luiji Vilain, Amir Riep, Keontae' Jones, Amari Carter, Markquese Bell and Tariq Castro-Fields, among others.
*And this from BadgerBlitz.com’s Zack Miller:
After barely scraping through the 2015 season at running back, position coach John Settle should have a full arsenal at his disposal for the next two-plus seasons.
Heading into spring camp, Wisconsin looks great on paper with Corey Clement, Dare Ogunbowale and Taiwan Deal, along with fullbacks Austin Ramesh and Alec Ingold, all of whom saw meaningful reps last fall, returning. Four-star Bradrick Shaw is also set to begin his first spring camp after a redshirt season and converted linebacker Leon Jacobs will work in the backfield — likely at both positions — next month.
More weapons are also arriving this summer. It’s been talked about for weeks, but the coaching staff now fully expects Chris James to join the mix in June. The former four-star prospect announced his intentions to transfer from Pittsburgh in December, and, according to a source, the Badgers were always at the top of his list, though he inquired about Iowa and Illinois as well. The source wouldn’t go as far saying the transfer “is a done deal,” but did note James is in the mix in terms of future planning/recruiting at the position.
From James’ side, we’re hearing the sophomore from Illinois is telling former Panthers teammates he’s headed to Madison at the conclusion of the spring semester. He’s still enrolled as a student at Pittsburgh as he works out a few academic wrinkles that prevented him from joining UW in January. Both sides don’t expect that to be an issue, though. James will be joined this summer by three-star Sam Brodner, the lone scholarship signee from the 2016 class at tailback, along with walk-on fullback Aaron Maternowski.
Now, if we know anything about college football, making a future depth chart can be risky. Remember when Wisconsin’s future at running back included Jordan Stevenson, Antonio Williams, Davon Crookshank and Caleb Kinlaw? But should the position remain in tact, here’s how things could look over the next two seasons:
2016
No. 1 Clement (senior)
No. 2 Ogunbowale (senior)
No. 3 Deal (sophomore)
No. 4 Shaw (freshman) or Jacobs (junior)
No. 5 Brodner (freshman — redshirt of special teams contributor)
2017
No. 1 Deal
No. 2/3 Shaw or Jacobs
No. 4 James
No. 5 Brodner
*We’ll see how Jacobs looks at tailback this spring, but I feel he’ll eventually work more as a fullback and H-back this fall based on need.
Gotta be Gard, right?
In a bit of a surprise, Wisconsin posted the head coaching vacancy for men’s hoops Thursday. The opening has an end date of March 3 and the earliest the position can be filled is March 8, though news likely won’t come out on that exact day.
So all signs point to Greg Gard, right? That’s certainly what we expect to happen, but this is what we’re hearing: Athletic director Barry Alvarez had his eyes focused on a national search at the start of the season and knew Bo Ryan stepping down mid-year was a possibility, according to a source. To no surprise, Virginia’s Tony Bennett was atop the wish list, but Alvarez was also attracted to a number of other candidates, particularly Northern Iowa’ Ben Jacobson.
But after wins in nine of the last 10 games, Alvarez, according to source, became more and more enamored with the current interim head coach. But it expands past the production on the court. We’re told that Alvarez was impressed with the “adjustments” Gard made when taking over and the positive results they’ve produced on the court and, more importantly, in the locker room. This wasn’t a dysfunctional group, by any means, but roles needed to be established and expectations laid out after losing the core group from two unbelievably successful seasons.
Finally, we’re told the players have made it no secret they want Gard to lead them past this season. This is a group that loses just one senior (Jordan Smith) and returns 11 players with current sophomore-or-younger eligibility. This overwhelming endorsement has been added to the equation in Gard’s favor.
Now, as far as the timing, Bennett, we’re told, may have communicated a final “no thank you” to Wisconsin. But that’s the vibe UW was feeling for much of the winter. Jacobson is still an intriguing option, but Gard’s performance may have elevated him above anyone not named Bennett.
On the recruiting front, look for Gard, if officially hired at some point next month, to attack the 2016 class as soon as the ink is dry on his contract. The staff has two scholarships to work with and strong need at point guard. We’re hearing Gard is intrigued by Kobe Gantz, but a number of prospects are still under evaluation, including a group of late bloomers from Illinois whom Howard Moore is tracking.
In the junior class, we’re told that Gard is big on Minnesota prospects Brad Davison (guard) and Nathan Reuvers (forward). Either or both could pick up an offer this spring or summer. Kobe King is the lone commit in the 2017 class and the in-state standout has made it known his pledge will remain solid should Gard take over at Wisconsin.
In 2018, retaining Gard permanently is expected to help with in-state standout Joey Hauser, whose older brother, Sam, was recruited by the Badgers. Gard, the lead contact, was in a difficult position during Sam’s recruitment with, at the time, just one vacant scholarship and a need a point guard. The Hausers, we’re told, appreciated Gard’s honesty and how he handled Sam’s recruitment. The eldest Hauser signed with Marquette and Joey also has an offer from the Golden Eagles.
The other big in-state target in the sophomore class is Tyler Herro, whom Gard elected to offer after taking over. The shooting guard from Whitnall High School has a strong bond with Gard and could be ready to commit at the conclusion of the AAU season, if not earlier. We’re told Herro wants to see what offers he can accumulate, though, this spring and summer; some feel his scholarship list could easily double once he plays in front of college coaches.
In-state tracker
We’ll include an in-state tracker for Whispers to keep an eye on offers for Wisconsin standouts.
*Kimberly defensive end Logan McCormick picked up his first offer from South Dakota State. He’s from the same high school as 2017 Wisconsin commit Logan Bruss.
*Menasha offensive lineman Mohammed Elazazy earned his first offer from Illinois State. His prep teammate, Luke Romnek, also picked up recent scholarships from Illinois State and Eastern Michigan.
*Baraboo linebacker Noah Larson now has an offer from Columbia.
*Racine Horlick offensive lineman Jordan Gallagher was offered by former UW-Whitewater head coach Lance Leipold, who is now the head man at Buffalo.
*Sussex Hamilton offensive tackle Calvin Dassow picked up recent offers from Eastern Michigan and Illinois State.
*Madison West wide receiver Terrell Carey also picked up an offer from Buffalo.
Odds and ends
*Two big out-of-state targets have scheduled visits to Wisconsin. Four-star quarterback Jack Coan will be in campus from March 11-12 and four-star running back A.J. Dillon on March 23. Both could very well be the top (and most realistic) targets for UW at their respective positions.
*Antoine Thompson, the Rivals Camp Series wide receiver MVP from Saturday’s tour stop in Florida, tells rivals.com that Wisconsin is his current leader. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound prospect also has offers from Bowling Green, Florida International and UCF, in addition to UW.
*One week ago, the coaching staff hosted 2017 in-state standouts Aaron Vopal, Logan Bruss, Alex Fenton and Tyler Beach for unofficial visits. Vopal was already committed, and Bruss and Fenton followed suit the following day. We’re told that while Beach doesn’t appear to be close to a decision, the staff feels very good about closing out his recruitment this spring or into the summer.
*New defensive backs Jim Leonhard wasted little time attacking his recruiting duties. His first known offer was extended to Florida defensive back Travion Leonard, and a number of other prospects are on his list. We’re told that group currently includes CJ Cotman, Damani Neal, Luiji Vilain, Amir Riep, Keontae' Jones, Amari Carter, Markquese Bell and Tariq Castro-Fields, among others.
*And this from BadgerBlitz.com’s Zack Miller:
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