In-state athlete Jake Ferguson commits to Wisconsin

Wisconsin received a commitment from its own backyard Thursday afternoon as in-state athlete Jake Ferguson pledged to the Badgers.

A 6-foot-5, 210-pound junior from Madison Memorial High School, Ferguson is the sixth member of UW's 2017 class, joining fellow in-state prospects Logan Bruss (Kimberly), Kayden Lyles (Middleton), Aaron Vopal (De Pere) and Alex Fenton (Menomonie).

"I kind of came into the visit not knowing I was going to commit," Ferguson told BadgerBlitz.com. "But when I got there the coaches were very welcoming and made me feel like part of the family.

"I saw the competition at practice and the drive of the players to get better. I realized then that it was a perfect fit and I wanted to commit."

Ferguson chose Wisconsin over offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska and Northern Illinois. The three-star prospect also received interest from Notre Dame and a handful of other schools.

"Coach (Paul) Chryst and the other coaches were excited and I was really excited," Ferguson said. "It was a great moment when I committed."

Ferguson is the grandson of UW athletic director Barry Alvarez and the younger brother of current Badger safety Joe Ferguson.

"He (Alvarez) was really excited," Jake Ferguson said. "He always wanted to see me and my brother play together and now he's going to get that chance. He loves watching his grandkids play."

Ferguson, who had close to 1,000 yards receiving an eight touchdowns last fall, played both ways for Memorial as a junior but is expected to play tight end at Wisconsin. He earned all-Big Eight honors at both receiver and inside linebacker in 2015.

"They like me at tight end but want to keep me flexible," he said.