All quiet on the recruiting front?
Even for the summer, things have been uncharacteristically quiet on the recruiting front for the Wisconsin Badgers. But a quick glance at the projected scholarship distribution shows UW is, at least on paper, at capacity with 10 commitments in the 2017 class.
But that doesn’t mean the staff has shut down their efforts with fall camp on the horizon, as a handful of prospects are still on their recruiting board. We continue to hear the magic number is 14, but that was before Alabama transfer Christian Bell committed to the Badgers. With six months still remaining before Signing Day, though, I’ll still stick with 14, and we should have a better idea of the space/attrition once camp kicks off Monday.
One position Wisconsin continues to recruit consistently is wide receiver. In past editions of Whispers, we wrote at length about three-star Oliver Martin, who picked up his first Power 5 offer from the Badgers this summer. Early on, Wisconsin felt very good about where they stood with the 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior, almost to the point where they were on the doorstep of a commitment, according to a source.
But as the offers continued to roll in as a result of Martin’s huge summer on the camp circuit, UW’s confidence dipped to the point where a new scholarship at the position was recently extended to RJ Sneed. Now, Wisconsin, we’re told, is not completely out of the mix and the tentative plan is to get Martin back on campus Aug. 12 for an unofficial visit. However, the feeling is that Michigan will jump up his list after this weekend’s BBQ at the Big House in Ann Arbor, and the draw to play closer to home at Iowa, according to a source, is gaining momentum.
Unless something changes during his visit, Martin will likely end up at another school inside the conference, according to a source.
The other active recruiting position on the offensive side of the ball is running back, where Wisconsin is still targeting, among others, three committed prospects, plus a four-star from Texas. According to a source, four-star A.J. Dillon is still very much a priority for UW, which was a strong player in his top group before he committed to Michigan this spring.
The Wolverines have two other tailbacks committed in the 2017 class in three-star Kurt Taylor and four O’Maury Samuels, and you can bet that Wisconsin has pointed that out. But as it stands, Dillon doesn’t appear to be wavering at all from his current pledge.
“He seemed to be all in based on what I saw today,” a Michigan source said when asked about Dillon, who was at the BBQ.
Despite his pledge to Duke, the Badgers, we’re told, are still trying to keep an open line of communication with three-star Deon Jackson. However, the only school that could likely sway him is Georgia, which has yet to offer. And then there’s Rutgers commit Jonathan Taylor, who seems like the most realistic option at this point, though the staff certainly doesn’t appear to be putting the full-court press on him at this point. With Taylor already committed, there’s no rush from UW’s perspective as the staff continues it’s evaluation process.
We’re also told that Kennedy Brooks received an official scholarship from Wisconsin, but his recruitment has been very quiet. Oklahoma, though, is believed to be the school to beat heading into the fall.
Finally, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the staff wait to see senior film on some other targets – both open and committed – and extend an offer or two later this fall (think Morgan Ellison, etc.).
One last nugget on offense: Four-star offensive tackle Aaron Banks attempted to connect with the staff a few times recently to set up an unofficial visit this week, but was unsuccessful. The California native is in the Midwest and is currently visiting Michigan. The Badgers are full on the offensive line with four commitments from in-state prospects.
On defense, Josh Turner received an official offer and is still very much an important target, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Ke’Shan Pennamon, who is getting settled in at Palmetto Prep in South Carolina. The thought right now is that Wisconsin and Iowa lead, with the Hawkeyes holding a slight edge. The two-star prospect doesn’t appear to be in a rush to make a decision, which works well for the Badgers.
Junior college outside linebacker/defensive end Andrew Van Ginkel told Rivals.com that he narrowed his list to Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Checking with a source, we’re told the Badgers do not have room for him in this class.
First in 2018?
With more scholarships available, recruiting activity is expected to be closer to the norm in the 2018 cycle. And though it may be too early to talk about the first commitment in the junior class for Wisconsin, we continue to hear very positive things about quarterback Jack Tuttle.
The California standout was on campus late last month and had very strong things to say, despite the absence of Chryst.
“Coach Chryst wasn’t there, unfortunately,” Tuttle told Rivals.com. “I talked to him on the phone within the rules and he was on his anniversary. We had a really good chat and he was bummed he couldn’t be there but it was totally OK.
“I was with coach (Jon) Budmayr almost the whole time and coach Gilmore as well. My friend, Cade Green, was there, the Wisconsin commit, he’s a great friend of mine. He was with me and his family and he’s been one of my best friends since third or fourth grade. We toured around the facilities and I talked a lot of football with coach Budmayr and how I fit in the offense.
“The facilities were beautiful, the stadium was crazy and the tradition where they do the 'Jump Around' thing was pretty cool. The whole stadium shakes. I got to meet some of the players and they’re hardworking, they push the limits, they have a family bond and they’re really good guys. It would be an honor to go play up there.”
Green’s relationship with Tuttle opened the door wide open for Wisconsin, which capitalized on its opportunity. We’re told an offer from Stanford would be huge for Tuttle, but the Cardinal already have a commitment from four-star Jack West in 2018. Tuttle will no doubt collect more offers this fall, but the Badgers likely have a place in his top group when the time comes to narrow his focus.
Big offer for Tyler Herro
As has been speculated, Tyler Herro’s recent offer from Arizona is a big one for the four-star in-state guard. The Wildcats, according to a source, were a “dream offer” of sorts for Herro since the beginning of his recruitment.
While there’s a lot of buzz with Arizona right now, a source close to Herro’s recruitment highlighted the importance of Wisconsin’s early offer last December. Additionally, Greg Gard letting Herro know he was the first prospect he wanted to extend a scholarship to as head coach made a lasting impression on Herro’s entire camp.
There’s still a ways to go in Herro’s recruitment, but the Badgers have cemented themselves atop his list with the groundwork laid this year by Gard and his staff, no matter what offer comes through.
And in the 2017 class, four-star small forward Justin Smith is absolutely a take for UW. The Illinois standout recently cut his list to seven schools: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Stanford, Villanova, Xavier and Wisconsin. All have offered except for Michigan, but he has an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor coming up Aug. 14.
Even for the summer, things have been uncharacteristically quiet on the recruiting front for the Wisconsin Badgers. But a quick glance at the projected scholarship distribution shows UW is, at least on paper, at capacity with 10 commitments in the 2017 class.
But that doesn’t mean the staff has shut down their efforts with fall camp on the horizon, as a handful of prospects are still on their recruiting board. We continue to hear the magic number is 14, but that was before Alabama transfer Christian Bell committed to the Badgers. With six months still remaining before Signing Day, though, I’ll still stick with 14, and we should have a better idea of the space/attrition once camp kicks off Monday.
One position Wisconsin continues to recruit consistently is wide receiver. In past editions of Whispers, we wrote at length about three-star Oliver Martin, who picked up his first Power 5 offer from the Badgers this summer. Early on, Wisconsin felt very good about where they stood with the 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior, almost to the point where they were on the doorstep of a commitment, according to a source.
But as the offers continued to roll in as a result of Martin’s huge summer on the camp circuit, UW’s confidence dipped to the point where a new scholarship at the position was recently extended to RJ Sneed. Now, Wisconsin, we’re told, is not completely out of the mix and the tentative plan is to get Martin back on campus Aug. 12 for an unofficial visit. However, the feeling is that Michigan will jump up his list after this weekend’s BBQ at the Big House in Ann Arbor, and the draw to play closer to home at Iowa, according to a source, is gaining momentum.
Unless something changes during his visit, Martin will likely end up at another school inside the conference, according to a source.
The other active recruiting position on the offensive side of the ball is running back, where Wisconsin is still targeting, among others, three committed prospects, plus a four-star from Texas. According to a source, four-star A.J. Dillon is still very much a priority for UW, which was a strong player in his top group before he committed to Michigan this spring.
The Wolverines have two other tailbacks committed in the 2017 class in three-star Kurt Taylor and four O’Maury Samuels, and you can bet that Wisconsin has pointed that out. But as it stands, Dillon doesn’t appear to be wavering at all from his current pledge.
“He seemed to be all in based on what I saw today,” a Michigan source said when asked about Dillon, who was at the BBQ.
Despite his pledge to Duke, the Badgers, we’re told, are still trying to keep an open line of communication with three-star Deon Jackson. However, the only school that could likely sway him is Georgia, which has yet to offer. And then there’s Rutgers commit Jonathan Taylor, who seems like the most realistic option at this point, though the staff certainly doesn’t appear to be putting the full-court press on him at this point. With Taylor already committed, there’s no rush from UW’s perspective as the staff continues it’s evaluation process.
We’re also told that Kennedy Brooks received an official scholarship from Wisconsin, but his recruitment has been very quiet. Oklahoma, though, is believed to be the school to beat heading into the fall.
Finally, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the staff wait to see senior film on some other targets – both open and committed – and extend an offer or two later this fall (think Morgan Ellison, etc.).
One last nugget on offense: Four-star offensive tackle Aaron Banks attempted to connect with the staff a few times recently to set up an unofficial visit this week, but was unsuccessful. The California native is in the Midwest and is currently visiting Michigan. The Badgers are full on the offensive line with four commitments from in-state prospects.
On defense, Josh Turner received an official offer and is still very much an important target, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Ke’Shan Pennamon, who is getting settled in at Palmetto Prep in South Carolina. The thought right now is that Wisconsin and Iowa lead, with the Hawkeyes holding a slight edge. The two-star prospect doesn’t appear to be in a rush to make a decision, which works well for the Badgers.
Junior college outside linebacker/defensive end Andrew Van Ginkel told Rivals.com that he narrowed his list to Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Checking with a source, we’re told the Badgers do not have room for him in this class.
First in 2018?
With more scholarships available, recruiting activity is expected to be closer to the norm in the 2018 cycle. And though it may be too early to talk about the first commitment in the junior class for Wisconsin, we continue to hear very positive things about quarterback Jack Tuttle.
The California standout was on campus late last month and had very strong things to say, despite the absence of Chryst.
“Coach Chryst wasn’t there, unfortunately,” Tuttle told Rivals.com. “I talked to him on the phone within the rules and he was on his anniversary. We had a really good chat and he was bummed he couldn’t be there but it was totally OK.
“I was with coach (Jon) Budmayr almost the whole time and coach Gilmore as well. My friend, Cade Green, was there, the Wisconsin commit, he’s a great friend of mine. He was with me and his family and he’s been one of my best friends since third or fourth grade. We toured around the facilities and I talked a lot of football with coach Budmayr and how I fit in the offense.
“The facilities were beautiful, the stadium was crazy and the tradition where they do the 'Jump Around' thing was pretty cool. The whole stadium shakes. I got to meet some of the players and they’re hardworking, they push the limits, they have a family bond and they’re really good guys. It would be an honor to go play up there.”
Green’s relationship with Tuttle opened the door wide open for Wisconsin, which capitalized on its opportunity. We’re told an offer from Stanford would be huge for Tuttle, but the Cardinal already have a commitment from four-star Jack West in 2018. Tuttle will no doubt collect more offers this fall, but the Badgers likely have a place in his top group when the time comes to narrow his focus.
Big offer for Tyler Herro
As has been speculated, Tyler Herro’s recent offer from Arizona is a big one for the four-star in-state guard. The Wildcats, according to a source, were a “dream offer” of sorts for Herro since the beginning of his recruitment.
While there’s a lot of buzz with Arizona right now, a source close to Herro’s recruitment highlighted the importance of Wisconsin’s early offer last December. Additionally, Greg Gard letting Herro know he was the first prospect he wanted to extend a scholarship to as head coach made a lasting impression on Herro’s entire camp.
There’s still a ways to go in Herro’s recruitment, but the Badgers have cemented themselves atop his list with the groundwork laid this year by Gard and his staff, no matter what offer comes through.
And in the 2017 class, four-star small forward Justin Smith is absolutely a take for UW. The Illinois standout recently cut his list to seven schools: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Stanford, Villanova, Xavier and Wisconsin. All have offered except for Michigan, but he has an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor coming up Aug. 14.
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