With the early signing period for high school football players beginning on Dec. 15, BadgerBlitz.com dives into a closer look at the commits who have signed with the Wisconsin Badgers.

Let's take a look at cornerback A'Khoury Lyde, who officially signed with Wisconsin on Wednesday.

Lyde racked up 20-plus offers but ultimately chose Wisconsin over Duke and Pittsburgh, the two other schools he took official visits to in June. The three-star prospect was the first projected defensive back commit for Jim Leonhard's secondary in this cycle. Lyde was a first-team all-state pick as a junior but was injured for much of his senior season.

"Coach (Hank) Poteat and I had that relationship when he was at Toledo and it just keeps getting stronger and stronger," Lyde told BadgerBlitz.com. "We had a position meeting with him and we talked about Wisconsin's pass schemes and how they defend and what they like to run. They showed me how I fit into their program and why they want me to be part of this class."

"His man-coverage skills are unmatched - he's tremendously good in man coverage," Nick Campanile, Lyde's head coach, told BadgerBlitz.com. "He can play press, he can play off and anywhere in between. He has a great knack for causing turnovers on his own. When he puts his eyes on the quarterback, he knows where he's going. He's made so many impact plays for us over the last two years. Then you add in that he's a great tackler, so he's a guy that can really do it all.

"Going into his senior year, it's just about being the most complete player he can be. He's a great player for us and really plays three ways as as return guy, a receiver on offense and then as a corner. He's really working at his craft in all three areas and I think he's going to be dominant in all three as a senior, because he was as a junior."

Looking at his junior tape, Lyde is a physical and willing tackler. Pre-snap, we see Lyde play off the receiver, and it's impressive to see him transition from his backpedal to the line of scrimmage on run plays or short passes. Lyde has good hips and balance, takes good angles in his pursuit of the football and closes ground in a hurry. I don't know if Lyde has elite speed, but he closes well with the ball in the air.

_________________________________________________

*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den

*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel

*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)

*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @JakeKoco, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45

*Like us on Facebook