Wisconsin Football lands two big commitments Tuesday

Wisconsin Football has been on fire on the recruiting trail as of late and stayed that way yesterday, picking up two new additions to its 2019 class.

Wisconsin had one heck of a four-day stretch on the recruiting front.

It all started over the weekend with commitments from two exciting linebacker prospects in Maema Njongmeta and Skyler Meyers on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Riding that momentum, the staff then reeled in two more names on Tuesday, bringing Wisconsin’s total number of commitments in its 2019 class to 17.

First up was East Kentwood (Grand Rapids, MI) wide receiver Stephan Bracey, who became the Badgers’ second flip of the cycle when he switched his commitment from Western Michigan to Wisconsin early in the afternoon.

Per the 247Sports composite, Bracey is a 3-star prospect and ranks as the No. 178 wide receiver and No. 1521 overall player in the nation. In addition to Western Michigan, he had other offers from Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Toledo, and Western Illinois. Give Wisconsin credit for getting this recruitment shut down at this stage, as Bracey may have had some other Power 5 offers coming his way soon.

Bracey had built up a relationship with Wisconsin over the last few months, dating back to his visit to Madison in September for the BYU game, where he was accompanied by two of his teammates at East Kentwood in Wisconsin’s 5-star offensive tackle commit Logan Brown and 2020 offensive guard prospect Dallas Fincher. Paul Chryst and company extended an offer shortly after Bracey committed to Western Michigan on October 9th.

Marcus Graham had been Wisconsin’s only wide receiver commit up until his flip to Stanford last Friday, so this was a crucial pickup for the Badgers in that regard. In addition, Bracey’s skill set will be an exciting infusion of playmaking ability to this offense, as he has a deadly combination of track star speed and elusiveness in the open field that makes him a threat for the end zone each time he touches the football. The 5’9, 160-pound speedster should emerge as a potent weapon for the Badgers both on offense, in particular with plays such as jet sweeps and screen passes, and in the return game.

Badger fans were treated to some more good news in the evening when St. Francis De Sales (Columbus, OH) 4-star defensive tackle Rodas Johnson announced his commitment to Wisconsin.

The 6’3, 285-pound prospect is a huge get for the Badgers, both literally and figuratively. Johnson ranks as the No. 21 defensive tackle and No. 335 overall player in the class, and held a ton of other Power 5 offers, including from programs such as Penn State, Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia.

Once you turn on the tape, it’s easy to see why Johnson has been so highly coveted. For a kid his size, he has some high-level athleticism, with nimble feet and exceptional agility that he uses to great effect to shed his blocker and penetrate into the backfield or chase down the ball carrier. Similarly to Keeanu Benton and Gio Paez, Wisconsin’s other defensive line commits in 2019, Johnson looks to have the versatility to play anywhere on the line in Jim Leonhard’s 3-4 scheme.

The defensive line has been one of Wisconsin’s most glaring weaknesses so far this season, but I am very hopeful for the future there in large part because of this exciting group of commitments at the position that the staff has compiled in 2019 class.