Positional recruit snapshot: Safety
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 safety needs: 1
Class of 2017 safety commits: 0
Most promising candidates:
Safety isn't a huge need in the 2017 class, but Wisconsin is currently in the top 5 for three-star senior Scott Nelson. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound prospect is focused on the Big Ten, with UW, Penn State, Michigan State, Iowa and Northwestern still alive in his recruitment.
“Everyone really is equal for me right now,” Nelson told Rivals.com. “I took visits to Iowa, Northwestern and Wisconsin around the end of June. Once I take this visit to Penn State, hopefully I can then visit Michigan State and begin to narrow this all down a little more. A decision before my season would be ideal.”
The Badgers also find themselves in the top group for four-star safety Jonathan Sutherland, though Penn State is expected to receive his commitment Sunday.
“They have a solid coaching staff,” Sutherland said of Wisconsin. “I visited two months ago and saw the facilities and talked to the coaches. I think it went really well.”
If Nelson and Sutherland commit elsewhere and UW still wants to pursue a safety in this cycle, Wisconsin could turn up the heat on Marquis Waters and Keontae Jones, both of whom currently hold offers. But with good depth on the current roster, tight scholarship numbers in the senior class and the Badgers sitting well with juniors Reggie Pearson and Trent Ingalls, the staff may not need a scholarship safety in 2017.
Who's come off the board?
Wisconsin offered Cyrus Fagan (Florida State), Stuart Head (Stanford), Damani Neal (Duke), Tae Daley (Vanderbilt) and Deon Jones (Maryland) but were never serious contenders in their respective recruitments.
Long shots:
Four-star Jaylen Kelly-Powell visited Wisconsin this spring, but landing the Michigan standout is not likely at this point. Tariq Castro-Fields also picked up an offer this spring but recently released a top group that didn't include the Badgers. Chaz Ah You, KJ Jarrell and Devon Hunter also fall in the same category.