Senior wide receiver Isaac Smith joins Wisconsin's 2020 class

Wisconsin has been looking for a second wide receiver in the 2020 class to join Chimere Dike since his commitment in January.

Sunday, position coach Ted Gilmore landed a commitment from Isaac Smith, who took his official visit to Madison this past weekend. A 6-foot-3, 185-pound prospect from St. George's in Tennessee, Smith is pledge No. 16 for the Badgers in the senior cycle. He made his commitment public Tuesday evening.

"I knew for a while that they were only taking one more guy at receiver and Coach Gilmore said I was the guy that he wanted," Smith told BadgerBlitz.com. "He just made sure that I knew that and he wanted to get me to campus to see what Wisconsin was all about.

"The official visit just blew me away. It's a great city, a great school and that's where I feel comfortable going after high school."

A two-star prospect, Smith, who picked up an offer from the Badgers this summer, chose Wisconsin over scholarships from Army, Cornell, Eastern Kentucky, Missouri, Navy and Tennessee Tech, among others. He had 53 receptions for 981 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior.

"Just getting up in Madison, it was a great experience," Smith said. "The environment and the people up there made it feel like home. It wasn't just the football team, it was the whole city. Even people outside the football program talked about how great of a place Madison is."

Academics and the diversity on the current roster, according to Smith, also played a large role in his decision.

"Wisconsin is a public Ivy (League) school," said Smith, who plans to major in finance. "They made me aware of that from the jump and I'm going to have to work when I get up there. But I'm OK with that because football is going to end some day. I'm headed there for academics and football.

"I was hosted by Alex Smith and we had a good time. We hung out after the game and with the guys on the team. It was a great experience. They are really diverse, as well. They have people from all over like Los Angeles and Florida, so it's a real diverse place to be."

A meeting with head coach Paul Chryst made not only Smith feel comfortable, but his mother and uncle as well.

"I talked to Coach Chryst with my uncle and mom and he's a great guy. He's a real players' coach and just a great person," Smith said. "He has a lot invested into his guys and his door is always open. He told me that they wanted me and he made me feel real comfortable. My mom and uncle were on board, too, and that made me feel even better about the decision.

"It's a weight lifted off my shoulders and I can now focus on my senior season."