This isn’t your average Wisconsin Badgers football recruiting cycle to say the least. While the class usually takes shape over the summer prior to the senior year, UW has had some really early success in the 2019 recruiting cycle.
It’s a pattern that continued on Friday afternoon as 3-star athlete Marcus Graham committed to the Badgers. He gave his verbal pledge after a two-day visit to the UW campus.
He is rated as the No. 34 ranked dual threat quarterback in the country and the No. 54 overall prospect in the state of North Carolina per the 247Sports composite rankings.
The Badgers were the first Power 5 school to offer Graham and following the visit he jumped on the offer he received. Other offers came from the likes of East Carolina, Air Force, Old Dominion and a few others.
Graham played quarterback this past season, and according to Badger247 he put up some huge numbers. He completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,270 yards and 16 touchdowns to just one interception. He also rushed for 858 yards and 15 scores, averaging better than eight yards per carry. Graham added 13 receptions for 265 yards and four touchdowns at wide receiver.
Wisconsin’s ability to scout and be confident in its offers paid dividends here, as other schools like North Carolina, Virginia Tech, South Carolina and Wake Forest all were showing interest but none had given out an offer yet.
So, what is Wisconsin getting?
First off, Graham is a versatile athlete and at 6-0, 175 pounds could wind up at wide receiver or in the secondary. It will take some transition due to his play of quarterback in high school, but that will not be his position in college to say the least.
Graham also fits the mold of what the Badgers are looking for out of their skill position players on the outside. He’s got plenty of speed to burn and he’s got a lot of natural movement to his game. Things come naturally to him, and instinct is hard to teach.
It appears Graham will also be someone who could be an early enrollee for the Badgers, which may be to his ultimate benefit given his position isn’t totally set in stone just yet.
Overall, this is the type of below-the-radar prospect that Paul Chryst and his staff have been really good at evaluating and prioritizing. They have also seemed to work out well once in the Cardinal and White.
