Bryson Williams commit: What does it mean for Wisconsin?

Wisconsin picked up verbal commit No. 18 in the class of 2018 on Wednesday from Lincoln, Neb., defensive tackle Bryson Williams.

Here are 10 quick takes and some analysis on what Williams' commitment means for the Badgers.

1. I've said from the very start that defensive tackle, in my opinion, was the biggest position of need for Wisconsin in 2018 after after not signing a true nose guard in the past two cycles. And while Bryson Williams wasn't a top target for the Badgers from the jump, he was a very solid get for UW at this point on the recruiting calendar. Had Wisconsin not secured his commitment, Hawaii's Aaron Faumui was probably next in line in terms of priority.

2. Most impressive was how quickly Wisconsin, led by position coach Inoke Breckterfield, moved with Williams. The Badgers offered on June 20, got him on campus three days later and secured his commitment July 4. He chose UW over offers from Iowa, Virginia Tech, Duke and Iowa State, among others. For most of the spring, the Hawkeyes were considered a strong favorite.

"He had a number of schools that he was looking at before the Wisconsin offer," head coach Ryan Gottula told BadgerBlitz.com. "He really wanted to take a look at Wisconsin because they're a great program. So he got up there for a visit pretty quickly.

"Him and family just really handled the process well. The family found a great fit for him and Wisconsin was that place. They had exactly what he was looking for as a student and football player."

3. The ideal plan, one would think, would involve Williams playing as a true freshman and then competing for a starting job as a true sophomore. By that time, the junior trio of Olive Sagapolu, Billy Hirschfeld and Jeremy Patterson will have cycled out of the program. Another big factor that should allow Williams to play right away is his (likely) early graduation and enrollment in time for spring camp of 2018.

"I'm not really familiar with the defensive line depth at Wisconsin, but I know because Bryson is so good in the classroom he'll be able to graduate early to take part in spring camp if he wants," Gottula said. "If he goes through spring ball and learns the schemes and gets comfortable, I think he'd have a chance to play early."

4. Once fans digested Williams' commitment, one popular question arose: "Why didn't Nebraska offer? We reached out to Sean Callahan of HuskersOnline.com for the answer.

"Nine out of 10 years Nebraska offers this guy. The small class really hurt and the move to the 3-4 as well. He (Williams) wasn't a fit to play nose, size-wise, and not tall enough for defensive end in (Bob) Diaco's 3-4. Has a great motor, though. Plays as hard as anyone in the state. Has an Aaron Donald-type make-up."

5. And from Rivals.com Midwest Recruiting Analyst Josh Helmholdt:

"Finding quality defensive tackles in the Midwest is difficult, and Williams attracted significant Power Five attention because he combines decent size and athleticism at the position. He will need to stay mindful of keeping his weight down because he does not have the height to fill out much more and stay explosive. His technique is solid, though, and he appears to be progressing well this off-season. I could not attend the St. Louis Rivals 3 Stripe Camp, but our analysts who were there noted Williams showed good strength and leverage in that event."

6. Looking more at Williams' offer sheet, you have to like five Ivy League schools on the list: Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton and Yale. That certainly speaks to his commitment to academics and overall character.

"He's an outstanding student with outstanding character," Gottula said. "Just really a great leader who was a captain for us as a junior, which doesn't happen too often. He has great leaderships skills and he has the ability to make other people around him better. He's just a great young man."

7. Williams' younger brother, Donovan Williams, is a standout basketball player in the 2020 class. He recently attended UW's basketball camp and could be someone for Greg Gard to watch in the sophomore cycle.

8. So what's left to accomplish in Wisconsin's 2018 recruiting class? According to a source, there is still one more scholarship with Travian Blaylock's name on it. Should the three-star cornerback from Texas go elsewhere, the focus likely turns to Marquis Williams and Reese Taylor. That said, UW doesn't necessarily need another corner in this class if the fit isn't right. They could keep that spot open and see if anything intriguing pops up this fall.

1 - Quarterback (Chase Wolf)

1 - Running back/fullback (Nakia Watson)

3 - Wide receiver (A.J. Abbott, Taj Mustapha, Aron Cruickshank)

1 - Tight end (Jaylan Franklin)

1 - Offensive linemen (Michael Furtney)

1 - Defensive tackle (Bryson Williams)

2 - Defensive end (Boyd Dietzen, Isaiah Mullens)

3 - Linebacker (Mason Platter, CJ Goetz, Jack Sanborn)

2 - Safety (Reggie Pearson, Trent Ingalls)

1 - Cornerback (Alex Smith)

2 - Athlete (Cormac Sampson, name will be released Thursday)

5 - Wisconsin

5 - Michigan

2 - Ohio

1 - New York

1 - Texas

1 - Illinois

1 - Indiana

1 - California

1 - Nebraska