Badger Bits: Ryan gets third commit of '13 class

Bo Ryan and the Badgers received their third oral commitment for the 2013 class on Tuesday. Jordan Hill, a 6-3 guard out of Pasadena, California, joins a recruiting class that already includes Bronson Koenig and Riley Dearring. Hill has already graduated from high school, so he will play at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire this season, before he attends UW in 2013.

Hill made a great impression on Wisconsin's coaches in an AAU tournament this summer, which led to a quick scholarship offer, according to Jim Polzin of the Wisconsin State Journal. Polzin also said Hill made an unofficial visit to Madison last week that apparently sealed the deal, as it didn't take long for him to make a verbal commitment.

You won't be overly impressed by the list of other schools that offered scholarships to Hill — including Kent State, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Leigh and Florida Gulf Coast — but Ryan's quick decision to offer a scholarship shows his confidence in Hill's potential. Due to NCAA regulations, Ryan can't comment on his latest commit until he signs a National Letter of Intent in November, but the director of Hill's AAU team had all good things to say about his former player.

It's tough to gauge Hill as a player, given the fact no major scouting sites have rated him yet, but he averaged an impressive 14.4 and 7.5 rebounds per game last season at Pasadena La Salle High School.

Wednesday's Links:

For the sake of his Heisman chances and NFL future, Andy Baggot says Montee Ball can't continue with all the negative publicity.

Three B1G quarterbacks made the watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, including one questionable pick.

ESPN.com's ranking of the the Badgers' linebacker unit reflects the defensive depth in the conference.

Here's the latest update on Montee Ball's physical and legal situation.

What do Big Ten coaches REALLY think about each other? Athlon Sports provided an interesting piece in which coaches anonymously talked about their conference counterparts.

Bret Bielema is sticking by Montee Ball's side, but warns his players he isn't afraid to punish them harshly if the commit acts detrimental to the team.

Badger football made the trip to Soldier Field last season when it faced Northern Illinois, and now, the Illinois Fighting Illini are set to play Washington at the same location during the 2013 season.

All the dates and times for the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge have been set, including UW's home game against Virginia.

Wisconsin's offensive line will look much different from 2011, but Jeff Potrykus writes there's still plenty to be excited about.

See how the Badgers scored big this week on another defensive lineman commit.