Wisconsin Football: 2019 Recruiting Targets

Wisconsin football has made a splash with their 2019 recruits. Take a look at who coach Chryst and the Badgers could be targeting to complete this upcoming class.

Current commitments

Before we dive into the remaining targets, let’s look at who has already committed to Wisconsin football.

Logan Brown – Offensive Tackle

Logan Brown is probably Wisconsin’s most prized recruit that is never talked about. Wisconsin snagged the 5-star offensive lineman out of Michigan.  Brown is the second-ranked tackle and 17th overall in the country according to 247 Sports composite. He committed to Wisconsin in November 2017 over Alabama, Michigan, Michigan St. and others.

Brown has a great combination of size and athleticism. He will be a great addition to the Badger offensive line in the future and will help continue the tradition of excellent offensive lineman at Wisconsin.

https://twitter.com/loganbrown53/status/932264831272542214

Graham Mertz – Quarterback

Graham Mertz is one of the most talked about recruits in the country right now. He committed to Wisconsin when he had only a few offers. Since, he has been getting a lot of attention from blue-chip teams such as Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia. He is a 4-star recruit and rated as the fifth quarterback and 147th nationally according to 247 Sports.

He was recently made the final cut to compete in the Elite 11 camp. If Wisconsin can hang onto him, that will be a huge win for Paul Chryst and this recruiting class. Mertz would be the highest rated quarterback commit to come to Wisconsin since most recruiting services began ranking players.

Related Story: Graham Mertz makes Elite 11

Hayden Rucci -Tight End

Hayden Rucci is a 6-5 tight end out of Pennsylvania. He has good blocking skills while also being a solid route-runner and pass-catcher. He is exactly what the Badgers are looking for in a tight end. Rucci is a 3-star recruit and the 14th ranked tight end according to 247 Sports.

https://twitter.com/haydengucci/status/960491859100520448

Leo Chenal – Athlete

Leo Chenal is a 3-star athlete out of Grantsburg, Wisconsin. He is the 29th ranked athlete in the country and the second-rated recruit out of Wisconsin. Chenal held an offer from South Dakota State before Wisconsin offered. He committed to Wisconsin the next day.

Julius Davis – Running Back

Julius Davis, like Mertz, has gotten some attention since he committed to Wisconsin. After committing, he has received offers from LSU, USC and Notre Dame. Davis is a 3-star running back out of Menomonee Falls, WI.

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Joe Tippman – Offensive Tackle

Joe Tippman is another tackle to commit to Wisconsin. Many believed Tippman would have gone to Notre Dame but chose the Badgers over the Fighting Irish. He is a 3-star recruit and the 56th rated tackle.

Dean Engram – Wide Receiver/Cornerback

Dean Engram is a Penn State legacy, son of Penn State legend Bobby Engram. He recently committed to Wisconsin because it checked all the boxes for him. It is still undecided whether he will be a receiver or a cornerback, but there is a feeling he will end up on defense.

Keeanu Benton – Defensive Tackle

Keeanu Benton is a Wisconsin product out of Janesville. He is a 3-star recruit and is the 69th rated defensive tackle in the nation. He held offers from Wisconsin and also Iowa.

James Williams – Cornerback

James Williams is another defensive player from Florida. Wisconsin loves to go down and snatch defensive backs from SEC country, and that trend continued with Williams. He also has offers from Florida, Louisville, Nebraska and Ole Miss. He is a 3-star prospect and the 119th rated cornerback in the nation.

Marcus Graham – Athlete

Wisconsin grabbed another athlete for this recruiting class. Marcus Graham is a 3-star athlete out of North Carolina. Evan Flood from 247 Sports thinks Graham could be a hidden gem in this class. He also thinks that Graham will likely come into Madison as a receiver.

https://twitter.com/TheMGraham/status/982310821215784960

Remaining targets

Now let’s take a look at who Chryst is still targeting to bring to the Wisconsin football program.

Dashaun Brown – Athlete

Dashaun Brown is another athlete out of Wisconsin. He is out of Racine St. Catherine’s High School. He is a 3-star athlete and the top-ranked prospect out of Wisconsin. According to Evan Flood, Brown may not necessarily be a take for Wisconsin at this point. Considering Wisconin’s current depth at receiver, a position Brown could play, it’s understandable why he may not be as interested. However, his services on the defensive side of the ball would be welcomed.

Bryce Benhart – Offensive Tackle

Bryce Benhart is another possible lineman to join Wisconsin football. Benhart is a product of Lakeville North High School, the same school as Wisconsin basketball player Nathan Reuvers. He is a 4-star tackle, the 24th overall tackle and the second-ranked prospect out of Minnesota. Adding Benhart would be a case of the rich-get-richer, but I’m sure Chryst and company would be more than happy to add another stud to this offensive line. Benhart was on campus in Madison over the weekend of June 9th for a visit.

Semar Melvin – Cornerback

Semar Melvin is yet another cornerback prospect out of Florida, from the prestigious St. Thomas Aquinas program in Fort Lauderdale, the same school as former Badger running back, James White. Melvin is a 3-star recruit and the 57th ranked cornerback in the nation. He currently holds 18 offers, according to 247 Sports, from Wisconsin, Purdue, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Virginia Tech, among others.

https://twitter.com/SemarMelvin/status/1004805048600268801

Spencer Lytle – Linebacker

Spencer Lytle is a 3-star outside linebacker. He is the 31st rated outside linebacker in the country.  Lytle was on campus for a visit with Benhart and other recruits such as Mertz, Brown, Tippman, and others. According to Evan Flood on 247 Sports, Wisconsin is battling Clemson for the commitment of Lytle. Wisconsin likes where they are with him, but it could be tough to beat out the Tigers.

https://twitter.com/_SpencerLytle_/status/1005154280762953728

Isaiah Gibson – Defensive Tackle

Isaiah Gibson is another big defensive tackle. He is 6-4 and close to 300 lbs. The 3-star prospect has 22 scholarship offers from a slew of Big Ten teams including Michigan St., Purdue, Indiana, and Minnesota. Gibson has also visited Minnesota and will be visiting Purdue as well. We will see if Wisconsin can fend off some Big Ten rivals to secure the talented defensive tackle.

Jake Hornibrook – Offensive Tackle

Jake Hornibrook is the younger brother of starting quarterback Alex Hornibrook. Many believe he would like to follow his brother to Wisconsin, but that may not be the case. He also holds offers from Clemson and Stanford. With these two teams in on Hornibrook, Wisconsin may not be in as good of a position as previously thought. Hornibrook is a 3-star tackle and rated the 106th tackle overall.

There are still plenty of other recruits out there that Wisconsin is on as well. These are just a few names that have been popping up in Wisconsin football recruiting news recently. Badger of Honor will help keep you covered as more names pop up, and more recruits commit to Wisconsin.

Next: Wisconsin's College Football Playoff Scenarios

As long as Wisconsin can keep this class together, they have a great opportunity to win a lot of games in the future. Badger fans have a lot to be excited about with Wisconsin football in both the present and the future.