More good news came on the recruiting trail for the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday, as Lincolnshire, Ill. (Adlai Stevenson) linebacker Maema Njongmeta announced that he verbally committed to UW.
Njongmeta confirmed with B5Q on Wednesday that he was taking an unofficial visit to Wisconsin this weekend, and now he is a member of its 2019 class. His journey to becoming a future Badger came about quickly after announcing an offer from UW just earlier this week.
Both 247Sports and Rivals rate Njongmeta as a three-star recruit, with the former recently bumping up his star rating this past week. 247Sports designates him as an outside linebacker, while Rivals lists him as an inside linebacker.
Njongmeta’s Hudl film shows a linebacker who is not afraid to hit—one who pursues quickly and with a burst to get into the backfield to make plays. According to his senior highlights, he tallied 131 tackles (23 for loss) along with 10 sacks, eight quarterback hurries, and two forced fumbles.
This was not the first trip to Madison this year for Njongmeta, who also took in Wisconsin for the Nebraska game.
Had a great time at Wisconsin yesterday! Thank you to the coaching staff for having me and the family down for the game✊ #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/PqRWx6adSX
— maema (@the_maema) October 7, 2018
247Sports lists 19 offers for Njongmeta, including opportunities from Iowa State, Northern Illinois, Army, Bowling Green, and some Ivy League schools.
Wisconsin’s 2019 recruiting class now jumps back up to 14 known verbal commitments after Njongmeta’s verbal pledge and the flip of projected wide receiver Marcus Graham to Stanford. The former joins these potential future Badgers:
- Athlete Leo Chenal
- Quarterback Graham Mertz
- Offensive linemen Logan Brown and Joe Tippmann
- Running back Julius Davis
- Tight ends Hayden Rucci and Clay Cundiff
- Cornerbacks Semar Melvin, Dean Engram, and James Williams
- Defensive linemen Keeanu Benton and Gio Paez
- Outside linebacker Spencer Lytle
Sussex, Wis. (Hamilton) product Jackson Kollath also verbally committed to Wisconsin as a walk-on earlier on Saturday.