The Wisconsin Badgers received some positive news on Friday when Macon, Ga. (Stratford Academy), wide receiver Quintez Cephus announced his commitment to play football in Madison. He declared his intentions via Twitter.
Cephus' recruitment has been an interesting one to follow. Up until early November, Cephus was all set to play college basketball for the Furman Paladins. He made the decision to follow his football ambitions instead, after an impressive senior season landed him scholarship offers from Wisconsin and Georgia Southern (Georgia Tech also has interest).
In an article on 247Sports, Cephus went into detail about his decision:
"It was really difficult for me to do, but I had to make a business decision. It felt like that for my future and my career.
My love is basketball and I'll always love it, but I love competing more. I'll do whatever I can do to compete at the highest level. I know being able to compete will make me happy.
I have a trust in Wisconsin's staff. I trusted God and wanted to get this done. I can get to the next level with these coaches."
The typical fan reaction to hearing "former basketball player" and "football" in the same sentence is "we just found the next Antonio Gates or Jimmy Graham." That isn't quite the case with Cephus, as he stands 6'2, 180 pounds.
He won't be someone who can box defenders out like the two aforementioned NFL tight ends, but you can bet that the Badgers' coaching staff will find ways to allow him to show off the athleticism that gave him the opportunity to choose between two sports at the collegiate level. Cephus also told BadgerNation.com's Ben Worgull he believes wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore can develop him further as a receiving threat:
"He wanted me to know how much he really wanted me, how he wanted to do this with me and coach me the next four years," said Cephus. "He felt we could do some great things together. I feel like Coach Gilmore really believes in me. I feel like I would really gaining knowledge from Coach Gilmore. He's a great guy and will treat me well."
Considering his hometown, this could get interesting should the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets decide to pull the trigger on offering Cephus, but for now, rejoice Badger fans! Cephus could end up being an extremely sneaky pick-up who could pay major dividends down the road.
Cephus is the 21st-known verbal commit to Wisconsin's class of 2016.
It's official I'm a badger boy!!! #OnWisconsin
— Quintez Cephus (@CEPHUSBOY23) November 13, 2015