Positional recruit snapshot: Cornerbacks
We have reached the midpoint of summer and Wisconsin's 2017 recruiting class is nearly completed. The Badgers have 11 current scholarship commitments to date - plus two more preferred walk-ons - and have set up their board to land a possible top 25 national class.
Over the next two weeks BadgerBlitz.com will be bringing you snapshots for each recruited position covering the targets who are left as legitimate prospects on Wisconsin's board. We will discuss the remaining candidates who are most interested in the Badgers, as well as those who are considered long shots to commit to UW.
As always, this is just a snapshot in time and things remain fluid. Additional offered targets will appear over the next few months and some recruits will inevitably choose other colleges. These positional snapshots are meant to give the lay of the land as fall camp for the 2016 season is quickly approaching.
Class of 2017 cornerback needs: 3/4
Class of 2017 cornerback commits: 3
Wisconsin's situation at cornerback isn't as cut and dry in comparison to other spots in the 2017 class. The Badgers technically have three commitments in the current cycle, but two have already graduated high school.
Two-star Deron Harrell signed with the Badgers out of the 2016 class but will enroll in January as a greyshirt. A 6-foot-3, 175-pound prospect from Colorado, Harrell played quarterback in high school but brings intriguing size to the defensive backfield. He passed for 1,347 yards and 17 touchdowns on offense with three interceptions and 18 tackles on defense.
Ke'Shan Pennamon, a three-star prospect from Florida, also signed with Wisconsin in February but will instead enroll this fall at Palmetto Prep in South Carolina. Like Harrell, the plan for Pennamon is to enroll at UW in January, essentially making him part of the 2017 cycle.
Madison Cone's situation is much more traditional. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound senior from East Forsyth High School in North Carolina committed to the Badgers in April over offers from Boston College, Duke, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, among others.
"He's a three-year starter for us with 21 interceptions over the last three years," Cone's head football coach, Todd Willert, told BadgerBlitz.com. "That's pretty incredible and he's one of those guys who just understands where the football is and it's really just something you can't coach.
"He understands the game and he understands situational stuff, so it's like having an extension of the coach on the field. Wisconsin's going to get a very smart football player."
Who's come off the board?
Shaun Wade (Ohio State), Stanford Samuels (Florida State), Chevin Calloway (Iowa), Deon Jones (Maryland), Amir Riep (Ohio State), William Poole (Georgia), Tre Shaw (North Carolina), Latavious Brini (Georgia), CJ Cotman (Tennessee), Devin Morris (Texas A&M), D.J. Brown (Penn State) and Traivon Leonhard (North Carolina) all committed to other schools, but Wisconsin was never serious players in their respective recruitments. The Badgers were, though, heavily involved with three-star cornerback Randall Haynie before his pledge to Vanderbilt.
Most promising candidates:
It will be interesting to see if the staff decides to add another cornerback in this class with the recent news on Pennamon. If a spot still does remain, it's very likely Josh Turner is the top option. After visiting a handful of schools this summer, Turner released a top 6 that South Florida, Wisconsin, Boston College, Iowa, Purdue and Army.
"It went extremely well," Turner told BadgerBlitz.com after his trip to Madison. "The campus is beautiful and they have top-notch facilities as well.
"They love me there and they gave me tons of information on the school as well. Coach (Paul) Chryst was just telling me how much he'd love to have me there and how he thinks I can impact the program."
In the end, this could very well be a battle between the Badgers and Hawkeyes for Turner's commitment.
Fellow Floridians Datrone Young and Cedrick Dort could also be options later in the process if Turner commits elsewhere.
Long shots:
Ambry Thomas, Dononvan Johnson, Jamyest Williams and Lamont Wade are all "long shots" (at best) for Wisconsin.