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Cornerback has been a position that has given the Wisconsin Badgers fits on the recruiting trail the past few seasons. Former head coach Gary Andersen was only able to land himself one cornerback in his two seasons here, and as it stood, the Badgers have been only with Jacksonville, Fla. (University Christian) three-star recruit Ke'Shan Pennamon as a commitment at that position for the class of 2016.
That all changed on Sunday morning when Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) cornerback Dontye Carriere-Williams verbally committed to UW, flipping his commitment from Cincinnati. The 247Sports composite three-star recruit announced his verbal pledge via Twitter.
It was a fast flip for the former Bearcats commit, as Carriere-Williams was offered by the Badgers on Dec. 5 and took an official visit to Madison with several committed prospects who have yet to use their official visits a week later.
Im officially commited to the University of Wisconsin. #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/1muaxnitaV
— Dontye C. Williams (@D1c_era) December 20, 2015
Carriere-Williams presents a very intriguing Hudl profile. He's good at blanketing receivers and can flash the athleticism to close and jump a route. With a 5'10, 175-pound frame, he's someone who could potentially use a year in the weight room to get stronger, but he's very willing in run support and will flash good open-field tackling.
The peak of the offer sheet is Maryland and the quality teams of the AAC, like South Florida, Temple and Cincinnati. Plenty of mid-majors worth their salt threw in an offer as well, including Bowling Green, Georgia Southern, Southern Mississippi, Toledo and Western Michigan,
The Badgers will probably still attempt to land one more corner, with Alexandria, Va. (Episcopal)'s Patrice Rene at the top of the list, but with Carriere-Williams in the fold, that pressure to replenish the position diminishes greatly.
The talented recruit isn't the first player from St. Thomas Aquinas to commit to Wisconsin. Recent UW standouts in linebacker Conor O'Neill, safety Dez Southward and running back James White -- the latter emerging as a key contributor to the New England Patriots in the NFL -- played at the Florida prep powerhouse.