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Wisconsin Football: Badgers flip safety Titus Toler

By Sam Land

MADISON, WI - OCTOBER 31: Head Coach Paul Chryst of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates on the sidelines during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Camp Randall Stadium on October 31, 2015 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)
MADISON, WI - OCTOBER 31: Head Coach Paul Chryst of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates on the sidelines during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Camp Randall Stadium on October 31, 2015 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images) /
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Wisconsin Football snagged a huge pickup on the recruiting trail this week, flipping talented safety Titus Toler from Colorado.

Talk about finishing with a bang.

Heading into the early signing period, Wisconsin already boasts a 2019 recruiting class that is set to be the best that the Badgers have compiled in years. Yesterday’s development is simply icing on the cake and puts this group even further over the top, with St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA) safety Titus Toler, a 247Sports 4-star prospect and the nation’s No. 360 overall player, announcing his commitment to Wisconsin on Twitter.

The Badgers had been seeking a safety prospect to add to this class ever since Bryson Shaw flipped his commitment from Wisconsin to Ohio State back in April, and they recently keyed in on Toler, offering the teammate of prized outside linebacker commit Spencer Lytle at St. John Bosco a couple of weeks ago.

Hot. Wisconsin Football 2018 Postseason Awards. light

The catch was that Toler had been committed to Colorado since July. At the time, he picked the Buffaloes over other opportunities from California, Arizona State, Boston College, Illinois, Minnesota, Oregon State, Vanderbilt, Washington and Washington State, among others.

However, with Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre getting fired recently, Wisconsin saw an opening with Toler and seized the opportunity. The staff got him on campus for an official visit last weekend that seems to have gone as well as they could have hoped.

After making that trip to Madison a week after visiting fellow finalist California, Toler was clearly impressed enough with what the Badgers had to offer that he made the decision to pull the trigger and sign with Wisconsin during the early signing period on Wednesday.

In Toler, the Badgers are getting a potential instant impact player at safety for next season.

The 5’11.5, 180 pound prospect is already a very well-rounded, versatile defensive back. Toler plays with a ton of effort and physicality and excels at using his speed to rapidly close in on the ball carrier and deliver big hits. As such, strong safety might be the best position in which to maximize his potential, but Toler could very well fill in at free safety as well, as he compliments his run-stuffing ability with solid coverage skills.

At the moment, the three players in the best position to compete for snaps at safety next year are Scott Nelson, Reggie Pearson, and Eric Burrell. Each of those guys showed flashes this season, but I’m not sure you can say they have proved enough just yet to have their roles set in stone for the 2019 Badgers. Toler should have the chance to come in and compete with them right away.

Next. Looking ahead to Wisconsin's 2019 roster. dark

Toler represents the fourth recruit in the class of 2019 that Wisconsin has flipped from a commitment to another program, joining tight end Clay Cundiff (Kansas), wide receiver Stephan Bracey (Western Michigan), and fullback Quan Easterling (Akron). The Badgers could also still be an option for two other committed recruits in linebacker Mohamed Toure (Rutgers) and defensive tackle Deshon Hall (Louisiana Tech).