With two big official visit weekends and summer camp now in the books, we reexamine our 3-2-1 feature, where we tell you three things we learned, ask two questions and make one bold prediction.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1 – Badgers got their elite targets on campus
You could make an argument that Wisconsin got just about every one of their "top tier" remaining targets on campus for official visits over two weekends in June. Outside of their previously (at the time) committed prospects, the Badgers' guest list for the weekend of June 8 included Isaiah Gibson, Bryce Benhart, James Williams and Spencer Lytle. The following weekend, UW hosted Rodas Johnson, Lance Dixon, Etinosa Reuben, Nick Henrich, Gio Paez and Semar Melvin. Had Wisconsin been able to get Hudson Henry, Jake Hornibrook and Erick All to join the list, that would have likely taken care of their remaining high-priority targets in the 2019 class. Kudos to the staff for those efforts.
2 – Wisconsin has the right formula for June
Being able to take official visits in the summer months has certainly worked well for Wisconsin. On top of that, the staff seems to have discovered a formula for how to showcase Madison in the month of June: Trips to the Terrace, boat time on Lake Mendota, photo shoots at Camp Randall and dinner at Paul Chryst's home.
"On Saturday we had breakfast and got to see the academic side of things and did a little photo thing at Camp Randall," Paez told BadgerBlitz.com. "And then later on that day we went around on the lake in Madison and ate at Coach (Paul) Chryst’s house and everyone was having a good time. This morning we had breakfast and caught up with the position coaches before getting on the plane. It was a great experience.]
"Just how genuine the coaches were really stood out to me. Coach Chryst has a big, beautiful house but he still lives really humbly. That stood out to me."
In the 2018 class, Aron Cruickshank, A.J. Abbott, Taj Mustapha, Alex Smith, Jaylan Franklin and Nakia Watson all committed either during, or soon after, visits in June; Travian Blaylock, Isaac Guerendo and Bryson Williams came in July. In this cycle, Gio Paez and Semar Melvin are both June commits, with Spencer Lytle and Bryce Benhart also possibilities before the close of the month.
So does a summer day in Madison trump the game-day experience at Camp Randall in the fall? You probably can't go wrong with either option, but June is certainly looking good.
3 – Graham Mertz's solidified commitment helped Wisconsin's recruiting efforts
Graham Mertz's "clear mind" tweet and now rock-solid commitment to Wisconsin has had a positive effect on recruiting. The four-star quarterback has been a leader since his pledge this past fall, but his new status helped with the prospects UW had on campus this month. Specifically, Mertz has been working hard on getting Lytle and Reuben to Wisconsin.
"It's time to bring together the best recruiting class Wisconsin has ever seen," Mertz tweeted.
That's certainly possible.
