Wisconsin Football still in the mix for Isaiah Gibson

Wisconsin Football remains a top option for 2019 defensive tackle Isaiah Gibson

Isaiah Gibson has seen his recruitment heat up quite a bit over the last few weeks, but Wisconsin Football remains in good standing.

Way back on the 4th of July, Gibson released a Top 5 list that included Wisconsin, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Purdue. At that time, the plan was for him to commit to one of those programs on his long-held decision date of September 19.

The Springfield, Ohio standout had an official visit to Wisconsin about a month prior to his announcement. Gibson appears to have really enjoyed that trip, and the Badgers began to pick up some serious traction in his recruitment. Afterward, confidence was high that they had established themselves near or at the top of his list.

Then a couple of SEC powers came knocking.

Just two days after revealing his Top 5 list, the 2018 national runner-up Georgia Bulldogs offered Gibson a scholarship. A couple of weeks later on July 19, Florida joined the party.

As you can expect, receiving offers from those two blue blood programs has forced Gibson to reconsider his plans. There was speculation that he might move back his decision, but ultimately he decided to stand firm on his original date.

Gibson’s Top 5 list, however, required some adjusting. Earlier this morning he released a Top 7 list, simply adding Georgia and Florida to his previous list.

Whenever you are going up against big-time programs out of the SEC for a prospect it’s going to be a battle, but Wisconsin should still be in good position to land Gibson come September.

As mentioned, his visit to Madison was a huge success and definitely moved the Badgers up in his eyes. It also doesn’t hurt their chances that they have one of Gibson’s former teammates at Springfield High School on the roster in star wide receiver Danny Davis.

That being said, keeping him away from the SEC is going to be a serious challenge. It won’t be easy for Gibson to turn down the allure of joining Georgia and Florida’s storied programs, and he also is high on Kentucky. The Wildcats were among the first to extend an offer, and they also have a commitment from Gibson’s teammate (and a former top target of Wisconsin) Moses Douglass.

The Badgers currently have two defensive tackle commitments from Gio Paez out of North Carolina and Keeanu Benton, an in-state standout from Janesville.

Wisconsin also remains in the hunt for 4-star prospect Rodas Johnson out of Columbus, Ohio.