WISCruiting Weekly: October 19, 2012

Well, just as all of the stars were aligning in the right direction for the current Badger team and on the recruiting front, fans were shocked to hear of 4-star Darius Latham's decommitment from Wisconsin in favor of joining Indiana next season.

From the sounds of it, another defensive lineman from the state of Indiana backed down from his commitment to Iowa and convinced Latham to do the same. No harm in wanting to play with old friends and stay close to home at the next level, but Wisconsin fans were very excited about the upcoming 2013 class full of defensive studs.

Fans should expect verbal commits to have a change of heart until signing day in February so this shouldn't be shocking. I'm more disappointed as Latham's verbal commitment made Wisconsin's 2013 signing class to be one of the strongest they've ever had. He's a big body and would've have been a force on the defensive line - a position that the Badgers sorely need to build upon.

Hopefully, the Badgers are still in play for other defensive linemen to overcome Latham's decommitment from the program. Here's a look at other Badger targets:

DT Kenton Gibbs (Class of 2013): 6'2", 290 lbs - Detroit, MI

Originally an Illinois commit, Gibbs has opened up his recruiting to hear from other schools. Since he wants to focus on his current season, it's likely he won't take any official visits soon and a decision won't be made until later in the year. Though Illinois is still in the mix, Wisconsin also has his interest.

From what I read, Michigan did not offer Gibbs but Ohio State did. Either way, he certainly has potential to be a force in the middle. He's been in talks with Tight Ends coach Eddie Faulkner and with the Latham situation, my guess is the Badgers will try very hard to bring in Gibbs in 2013.

DT Monty Nelson (Class of 2013): 6'2", 310 lbs -Plantation, FL

This is where Badger recruiting could get interesting. The Badgers already received a commitment from CB Sojourn Shelton (feel like I've written about him in every post so far) who is also from the same area. In addition, the Badgers are trying very hard to get 5-star RB Alex Collins to commit and is also from the same area. Notice a trend here?? The Badgers are trying to mark their territory where recruiting grounds are fertile and would be a huge get for the Badgers. If added to the Badgers commit list, he would certainly make up for the loss of Latham.

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Basically the latest on the recruiting front is that the Badgers need to bring in another DL recruit after the loss of Latham to Indiana. In addition to that, the Badgers will also need to fill their QB and RB needs for 2013. With Wisconsin heavily interested in Collins, they are also bringing in RB Corey Clement for an official visit this weekend as the Badgers host Minnesota in The Battle For The Axe at 12ET/11CT.

Check back here next Friday for more on Wisconsin football recruiting!