Wisconsin continues hot recruiting trend, land commitments five and six in the last week

Written by Ryan Wright

A lot of national attention has been given to the torrid month the University of Houston has turned in recruiting circles but quietly the University of Wisconsin has been absolutely hot. Since June 13, the Badgers staff has landed six verbal commitments getting No. 5 Cole Van Lanen and No. 6 Craig Watts on Saturday.

Offensive tackle Cole Van Lanen is an important “get” for first year head coach Paul Chryst. The 6’5”, 270 pound, Van Lanen is one of the top players in the Badger State from Bay Port High School fielding offers from various Big Ten schools like Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Nebraska.

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl invitee has taken several trips to Madison meeting with the new staff but has also visited the Golden Gophers for their Junior Day and the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor.

Landing Craig Watts out of Admiral Farragut Academy in Saint Petersburg, Florida is wildly impressive. Watts has offers in the neighborhood of 40 with Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, Miami, Michigan, Ole Miss, Penn State, North Carolina, and Notre Dame all seeking his skills in 2016.

The 6’0”, 180 pound, safety was a beast on the field for the Bluejackets in 2014 and has helped his recruiting in various camps during the offseason.

The Badgers now have 12 verbal commitments to their class landing seven players in the month of June but six of the seven in the last week. Defensive tackle Tyler Biadasz was the first to commit followed by linebacker Noah Burks, linebacker Dallas Jeanty, offensive lineman Patrick Kasl, linebacker Griffin Grady, along with Van Lanen, and Watts.

 

Photo credit: rivals.com; Craig Watts at a Rivals camp.