Wisconsin Football: Current state of the 2019 recruiting class

Defensive Back

Commitments

Semar Melvin- Ft. Lauderdale, FL (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Dean Engram- Washington, D.C. (Gonzaga)

James Williams- Hollywood, FL (Chaminade-Madonna Prep)

Other current targets

None

Wisconsin’s 2019 defensive back class appears to be set. The Badgers have not landed a commitment at safety, but the staff could be content with the cornerback trio of Melvin, Engram, and Willams.

Melvin is a 3-star prospect out of Florida who attends perennial high school football powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale. The Wisconsin staff loves to dip into Florida for defensive backs and has had plenty of recent success doing so with guys like Sojourn Shelton, Derrick Tindal, D’Cota Dixon, and Faion Hicks. Melvin, who had other offers from Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Purdue, and Virginia Tech, among many others, could be next in line.

So could fellow Floridian James Williams. The 3-star recruit committed to Wisconsin back in June over other offers from programs such as  Florida, Louisville, Missouri, Nebraska, Ole Miss, and Syracuse. Williams has excellent size for his position at 5’11 and like Melvin, comes from a winning program in Chaminade-Madonna Prep.

Dean Engram was another nice pickup at corner for the staff. The 3-star from the nation’s capital chose Wisconsin over Boston College, NC State, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, and Virginia Tech. It was a nice win for the Badgers to pull him away from the Nittany Lions, as his father, Bobby Engram, was a star receiver at Penn State who went on to play in the NFL. Dean may be a bit on the small side, but his athleticism should go a long way in negating that. His 247Sports profile lists a 40-yard dash time of 4.61 and a vertical of 36.30, an excellent combination of speed and hops.

If the staff does have the intention of adding a safety to the class, some new offers will likely need to be made. Wisconsin has struggled to gain traction with recruits at the position ever since the Bryson Shaw’s decision in April to back off his pledge to Wisconsin and jump on board with Ohio State.