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Lost in the hubbub following Wisconsin's furious near-comeback and frustrating loss to Penn State was the fact that the Badgers were able to get their hands on a fourth receiver for the 2014 recruiting class, one the recruitniks have been hoping for.
Dareian Watkins was once the crown jewel of Northwestern's recruiting class, but after he went on an unofficial visit to Madison with 2015 safety Cario Davison for the Indiana game, Northwestern pulled its scholarship offer. And frankly, the Wildcats' loss looks to be the Badgers' gain. From Badger247:
"It felt right," Watkins told Badger247. "Coach Beatty and the coaching staff sold me. Wisconsin football is incredible. I can't wait to be a Badger."
He was able to generate over 2,800 yards of total offense splitting time between quarterback and wide receiver at Gailion and has good size as a 6'2 receiver. You can easily dream of him causing match-up nightmares on the other side of a Krenwick Sanders in the future.
And in an ironic twist, the four-star athlete was recruited by the previous administration, but it never engaged him with a formal scholarship offer. Wide receivers coach Chris Beatty recruited him hard, but Watkins made the move to Northwestern. Sometimes persistence pays off, and the Badgers have themselves yet another strong option at receiver in 2014.
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