Wisconsin recruiting: Badgers targets at The Opening Columbus, new offers to offensive linemen

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Max Bayer

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The Badgers extended a couple new offers to some touted linemen, while some talented Wisconsin targets will perform at The Opening in Columbus.

Nike's and Student Sports' premier football camp -- The Opening -- makes its stop in Columbus, Ohio this weekend as many of the region's top high school players look to prove themselves against the best. Among those invited to the day-long event include several recruits Wisconsin hopes will be playing football in Madison on Saturdays next fall.

The first is Carmel, Ind. linebacker Noah Burks. It's expected that the Indiana native will choose between Wisconsin and Maryland. The three-star prospect said yesterday both programs are "about even" as he approaches his commitment decision ($). Burks' Hudl profile notes a 4.5 40-yard dash, and if he continues to showcase Sunday, it should bode well for him to up his stock.

The Badgers are also interested in the performance of Dublin (Coffman), Ohio's Griffin Grady, another 247 Sports' composite three-star linebacker. Grady has received offers from other Big Ten programs including Northwestern, Maryland, and Illinois. Grady offers great size for an outside linebacker with his 6'3, 206-pound frame. Like Burks, he's a sound tackler with solid north-south speed. He has a great instinct on blitzes and even performs well in coverage.


Also, Pittsburgh (Brashear), Penn. cornerback Therran Coleman and Detroit (Renaissance), Mich. offensive linemen Alaric Jackson will compete in the event. Both hold offers from Wisconsin, with Coleman speaking with the Badgers more recently ($).

SB Nation's Bud Elliott will be there in attendance, so stay tuned for more hopefully in the coming days.

New offers


The Badgers most recent offer went to four-star offensive lineman Matt Farniok out of Sioux Falls (Washington), S.D.. Farniok has received numerous offers from highly-touted programs such as Florida State, Michigan State and Stanford. There is a common theme when you watch Farniok's highlights: not many players that go up against him stay on their feet. He's strong, quick, and can bulldoze his way upfield. He's yet to release an official list of his top schools and said prior to the Wisconsin offer he had no favorites.


Happy to get an offer from Wisconsin! pic.twitter.com/Hcr5kxaoOD

— Matt Farniok (@MattFarniok1) May 30, 2015


Sticking with offensive lineman, the Badgers recently offered one of Hawaii's top football prospect, Michael Eletise. 247 Sports has Eletise ranked as the 191st best player and the 7th best offensive guard in the country, while Scout.com pegs him as the 205th best player in the country and ninth best guard. Based on his Hudl profile, he doesn't offer the same "pancaking" ability as Farniok but is equally successful by being a sound and efficient blocker. Eletise has great footwork and is quick off the snap. He also works great in pass protection which is always crucial for a Wisconsin team that rarely utilizes mobile quarterbacks.

Wisconsin breaks commitment drought


You can read the full article here, but it is worth noting the commitment of Pinkerington (Central), Ohio three-star safety Seth Currens. Currens chose Wisconsin over a couple top schools in the MAC conference as well as Illinois. The Badgers hope to replenish depth in the secondary with Michael Caputo and Tanner McEvoy graduating, along with the loss of safety Austin Hudson to transfer.

Summer camps start this weekend


The Badgers start their month of summer camps on Sunday. We asked BadgerNation's Ben Worgull who are some of the bigger names attending, along with some possibly sleepers in this group.

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