Wisconsin football recruiting: Intriguing recruits visit Madison this weekend

It’s that time of year: good ole’ camp season.

With over two-and-a-half months until the Wisconsin Badgers’ Sept. 1 season opener against Utah State, head coach Paul Chryst and his assistants have hosted summer camps over the past two weeks.

This weekend in particular they appeared to have organized camps from Thursday through Saturday.

On Friday, some intriguing in-state and out-of-state recruits appeared to make their way into Madison, Camp Randall Stadium, and the Wisconsin locker room. There are currently 10 verbal commitments for the class of 2018, but by the looks of it, there could be some future Badgers coming out of their visits as well.

Michigan prospects take in Madison

Michigan has become a focus of Wisconsin’s recruiting lately and four of this weekend’s visitors hail from the Wolverine State.

Two verbal commits for the class of 2018—safety Reggie Pearson and offensive lineman Michael Furtney—along with two possible UW targets were in Madison on Friday.

Three-star athlete Jaylan Franklin (No. 2 in the picture below) and wide receiver Ali Mustapha (No. 3) toured the university campus on Friday.

Mustapha earned an offer from the Badgers on Friday and is a three-star recruit according to 247Sports, Rivals, and Scout with Power Five offers from Boston College, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, and Syracuse, among other schools.

Franklin is an intriguing prospect. According to Rivals and Scout, he is being recruited as a tight end by the Badgers’ coaching staff. BadgerBlitz.com’s Jon McNamara reported the Gibraltar, Mich., native is “down to two schools and a decision could come at any minute” as he’s “contemplating his next move,” ($) with Franklin telling Badger247’s Evan Flood it was a “pretty big day” ($).

Pearson, the first Wisconsin commit for the class of 2018, appeared to attempt to sway his fellow statesman:

Four-star OLB Cam McGrone

Wisconsin apparently made an impression on the Indianapolis native, as he called his time in Madison “a time to remember.”

Listed at 6’1 and between 210-215 pounds by the recruiting services, McGrone is a consensus four-star prospect:

• 247Sports Composite: Four stars; No. 248 player overall; No. 16 OLB, No. 3 player in Indiana
• 247Sports: Four stars; No. 131 player overall; No. 9 OLB, No. 1 player in Indiana
• ESPN: Four stars; 80 grade; No. 19 OLB; No. 3 player in Indiana
• Rivals: Four stars; 5.8 rating; No. 16 OLB, No. 4 player in Indiana
• Scout: Four stars; No. 25 OLB; No. 4 OLB in Midwest; No. 1 OLB in Indiana

In Oakland, McGrone earned a spot in the 2017 Opening Finals after posting a 4.67-second 40-yard dash, 4.46-second shuttle, and 34.8” vertical jump back in late May.

According to Scout, McGrone has received offers from Indiana, Iowa, Louisville, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Tennessee, among others.

Texas defensive back in town

Humble, Texas (Atascocita) native Travian Blaylock is rated a three-star recruit by both 247Sports (Composite and standalone) and Rivals. Listed between 5’11 and 6’0 and about 175-176 pounds by the recruiting services, he is noted as a cornerback by 247Sports and Rivals and a safety by Scout.

Participating in the Opening Regional in Houston back in February, Blaylock ran a 4.76-second 40-yard dash and 37.9” vertical jump. His Hudl film shows a young player who can shed blocks off of wide receivers and is not afraid to tackle or lay a smack on an opposing ball carrier.

According to Rivals, Blaylock received offers from Wisconsin, Washington State, and Cincinnati, among many others.

Commits coming shortly?

On Friday evening, McNamara reported Wisconsin has at least one unspecified recruit who committed, with another possibly on the way in the next day or two.

Stay tuned for more here on B5Q.

Odds and ends

As the old adage goes, “You can take a quarterback and make him a lineman, but you can’t take the quarterback out of the lineman.”

Three-star tight end/offensive tackle prospect Jack Plumb also made his way into town on Friday. The 6’8 prospect from Green Bay, Wis. (Bay Port) is intriguing, with a frame that could fill out like a lineman but an athletic background in basketball that could make him an intriguing target in the passing game.

Plumb’s high school should ring a bell, as the program has produced current Badgers fullback Alec Ingold and offensvie tackle Cole Van Lanen.