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Wisconsin Football picks up commit from Gio Paez

By Tanner Nestle

MADISON, WI - NOVEMBER 18: Chris Evans #12 of the Michigan Wolverines is brought down by Ryan Connelly #43 and T.J. Edwards #53 of the Wisconsin Badgers during the fourth quarter of a game at Camp Randall Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MADISON, WI - NOVEMBER 18: Chris Evans #12 of the Michigan Wolverines is brought down by Ryan Connelly #43 and T.J. Edwards #53 of the Wisconsin Badgers during the fourth quarter of a game at Camp Randall Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Defensive tackle Gio Paez committed to Wisconsin after his official visit this weekend.

Wisconsin’s historic 2019 recruiting class got better this weekend after the addition of Gio Paez. The three-star defensive tackle from North Carolina had his official visit with the Badgers over the last weekend. He tweeted Sunday evening he would be playing his college ball at Wisconsin. Paez also had offers from N.C. State, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Kentucky, among others.

Paez is listed at six-feet, three-inches tall and weighs 285 pounds. He’s already big enough to play defensive line in the Big Ten, but could easily pack on more strength. Paez shows a good ability to rush the passer from the interior lineman position, which means he could eventually see snaps as a defensive end in Wisconsin’s 3-4 scheme.

I expect Paez to become one of Wisconsin’s pass rushers on the defensive line. His body is a bit further off from being a true nose tackle in the 3-4. At the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp Paez showed quick feet and hands, and a nice spin move that was able to catch some of the offensive linemen off guard.

There are a lot of things Paez can do to change his body in the college game, but his natural ability to put pressure on the opposing backfield will likely be the focus for him. He’s too talented in that regard to not be used as a rusher.

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Other uncommitted players were in Madison over the weekend. Some current commits have been tweeting out cryptic messages suggesting there is more news to come. Is Paez just the first of multiple commits coming from the weekend?

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Paez is now the 11th commitment in Wisconsin’s 2019 recruiting class. Paez helped bump the Badgers up to 22nd in the 247 Sports composite rankings. Wisconsin was already having a great year recruiting, and now Paez just made it that much better.