Badgers add four-star defensive tackle
Commit No. 20 for Wisconsin in the 2016 class was a big one, as the Badgers received a pledge from four-star defensive tackle Garrett Rand on Thursday.
Advertisement
I have made my decision, and will be playing college football at the University Of Wisconsin! #GoBadgers🔴⚪️⚫️ pic.twitter.com/zC2qXT7CQI- Garrett Rand (@rand3218) October 1, 2015
"Yes, Garrett has given his verbal commitment to Wisconsin," Rand's mother, Tomarra, told BadgerBlitz.com. "I wasn't there when he committed but Garrett said the coaches were all very excited."
A 6-foot-2, 275-pound senior from Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton, Rand chose UW over Arizona State, UCLA, Stanford and Washington, among others. He visited Wisconsin officially this past weekend.
"It really came down to the combination of the comfort level with the coaches and players," Tomarra Rand said. "The education is always important and Wisconsin is a top-notch university.
"The academic advisor did a phenomenal job with us when we visited in July. The coaches were very positive and you could tell they care about their players. When Garrett was there last weekend the players confirmed that."
The No. 189 player in the 2016 class, Rand visited Madison for the first time this summer while in Wisconsin for a family reunion.
"I spent most the day with all the coaches, actually," Rand told BadgerBlitz.com in a previous interview. "It was me and my parents with that whole group and that was a great experience -- I really felt like I was a priority. We sat down in coach (Paul) Chryst's office and talked for a while. He's really excited about me and can't wait to get me back on campus. The defensive coordinator (Dave Aranda) basically said the same stuff and said I could be a really big part of their program.
"I met pretty much every coach and spent a lot of time with the head coach and defensive coordinator. I met with coach (Barry) Alvarez and talked with him for a while, which was really cool. It was just a great experience and probably one of the best visits I've had so far. The city was really beautiful. Everything was really just perfect and it was very exciting."
With Rand, the Badgers have two projected defensive tackles in the current class with three-star Tyler Biadasz already in the mix. They also dipped into Arizona previously with a pledge from three-star quarterback Kare' Lyles.
Click Here to view this video.