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Wisconsin football recruiting: Going camping, catching up with old pals and a few new offers

Where you might see a lull in recruiting news (no commitments, less than 1,000,000 offers a week), I see a team quietly and confidently building a solid list of targets to home in on.

By Drew Hamm
Jacksonville (Ed White), Fla., athlete Javarius Davis.
Jacksonville (Ed White), Fla., athlete Javarius Davis.
Student Sports

This week's notebooks: Thursday Tuesday

As a bartender, I rarely get a weekend night off, and on those rare occasions I do, I like to get elbow deep into a morass of college football recruiting. I'm not what you would call a "party animal" anymore. I mean, I used to be with "it," but then they changed what "it" was. Now what I'm with isn't "it", and what's "it" seems weird and scary to me. It'll happen to you...

You didn't know you needed it, but a weekend recruiting update is in your life now. Get excited!

Catching up with...

Javarius Davis: We've been following Davis since Rosin's Post-Spring Big Board (where he clocked in at No. 18) and two weeks ago we mentioned that he was planning on making a decision this summer. We also discovered that Wisconsin was among his top five schools and that he is cousins with D.J. Gillins. All of these factors have contributed to the Badgers -- most notably assistant coach Bill Busch, who has been visiting the athlete (probably corner for UW) in Florida -- putting on the veritable "full-court press" to secure Davis' services for next season. Since announcing his top choices, offers from Mizzou, UCLA and USC have come in, and Davis told Badger247 ($) that those offers have muddied the waters a bit. The only thing keeping Davis from a full-on Badger lovefest is the fact that he might not be able to visit Madison; it is a bit far away from Florida for you geography majors. While writing this, and checking Twitter (because I have a problem), I came across this tweet from running back Taylor Thomas (a teammate of Davis):

What it means, who can say?!?! But Davis retweeted it and in high school, that's legally binding. Wisconsin hasn't offered Thomas, but if I know Gary Andersen, he'll definitely be swayed by internet happenings.

Tobias Moss: Sometimes (it's almost always when it's my turn) we let a guy slip through the cracks when they get offered by the Badgers, and as far as I can tell Moss is one of those guys. In our defense, he slipped through the cracks of most major college football teams so far as he currently has offers from only UW, FAU, FIU and Tennessee State. Despite the limited offer list, he's in no hurry to commit to a school and plans on keeping his recruitment open ($). His Hudl profile shows the type of corner that Wisconsin has been going after since Gary Andersen took over: short and fierce. He's got a nose for the ball, and also returns kicks for his high school team, Westminster Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida). That school should ring a bell for you because current wide receiver commit Andrew James also goes there! Synergy! Or something, I didn't come here to play business school.

Davante Davis: You may remember Davis as the guy Wisconsin offered even though he was already committed to Syracuse. You may also remember him as the guy Rosin said would probably reopen his commitment. Welp, that didn't take long. Davis has a butt-load of new offers, including Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State and Miami and plans on "opening everything back up."

Check out Bud Elliot's scouting report on Davis because it's good and because Bud knows more than you. Davis isn't the prototypical corner recruit for the Badgers, namely because he is almost 6'3, but he has all the skills Wisconsin wants in a corner: tenacious and ballhawky (official term). This is still probably a long shot, but if a guy commits to Syracuse, he's liable to commit just about anywhere.

Deon Cain: I don't want to say "I told you so," but I totally did. Cain was never an option for us, and he committed to Clemson on Friday. It's tough being right all the time.

New offers

Dare Odeyingbo: The Badgers have always had limited reach in Texas, but have made the Lone Star State a focus during this cycle. Their latest offer is to human battering ram/OLB/ATH Odeyingbo out of Cistercian Prep (Irving, Texas). The 6'1, 225-pounder plays running back and has amassed over 4,200 career yards, but the Badgers see him as an OLB, according to Badger247 ($). His Hudl profile shows a guy with a high motor, but somewhat unrefined pass rushing moves. Iowa, Iowa State and Mizzou are all interested and have offered. It might be nothing, but keep Odeyingbo on your radar.

Anthony McKee:

McKee is an exciting prospect. He's a 247 Composite four-star OLB (21st-best in the country) out of Columbus, Ohio. The Walnut Ridge product (Rob Wheelwright and Austin Traylor also went there) is quickly blowing up on the recruiting trail (this article from the end of March could be reprinted today) with offers from the Badgers and Oklahoma in the last week. The connection to two current Badgers put Wisconsin squarely in the race ($) for McKee's commitment, and the glowing reviews Wheelwright and Traylor have given of Madison are only helping the cause. He is a tad undersized (190 pounds) for a Big Ten linebacker, but that's why God invented summer weight training programs. McKee is currently leaning toward Michigan State or Kentucky, but hometown Ohio State has yet to offer and that could be a game-changer for the Columbus native. This is a guy we should be following closely, and possibly getting excited about (*squeals*).

Marquies Price: The Fort Valley, Georgia defensive end has the perfect frame for Wisconsin's defensive scheme. He's 6'6 and only weighs 225 pounds, which means he has plenty of space to add a little "good weight." Price is currently sitting on offers from Duke (the front-runner), Indiana, Purdue, Georgia Tech and Virginia, among others. The list has a number of strong academic schools on it (except you Indiana, buuuuuurrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnn), which bodes well for Wisconsin since it has a great combination of nerd stuff and jock stuff. Kind of like an '80s movie! The three star defensive end is the 86th-best player in talent-rich Georgia and shows incredible quickness off the snap. Price also had this to say on Twitter:

Baveon Johnson (class of 2016): The massive sophomore offensive tackle snagged an offer from UW this week. He also has offers from Nebraska, Indiana, Kentucky and Arizona. Not a whole lot is known about this youngster; hell, he doesn't even have a picture up on 247, but the size is there and the limited video looks promising. The Lake Gibson, Florida offensive tackle would be a welcome addition to the o-line tradition at Wisconsin (I think).

Going camping

With summer fast approaching -- or so they tell me, I live in Chicago and wouldn't know -- camp season is also here. The Badgers have invited a couple of players recently to their June camp in Madison. Defensive back Justin Tranquill could be getting an offer from the Badgers if he plays well. Another small corner will be in attendance, as Antonio Shenault from Illinois will make the trek north. Tight end Richard Burney out of Virginia will be making his second appearance in as many summers at UW's camps ($), and he'll be looking to improve on last year's showing. Burney's father played at UW in the late 1970s, so there's that connection. The Badgers haven't offered yet, but a strong showing could warrant one.

Quick hits

-- Chris Barr has Wisconsin in his top 10:

-- Ronnie Hoggins is at 100 percent for the Badgers in the latest 247 Crystal Ball projections.

-- Top Badger target Osa Masina was named to the Rivals 5 Star Challenge roster:

-- Gerry DiNardo had things to say about two current Wisconsin commits, and his opinion is just as valid as everyone else's!

I hope you all enjoyed your Friday night out, but you missed out on sitting on the coach and grilling nacho turkey burgers (a real thing!). *throws up what I think is a gang sign*

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