Source: Wisconsin Football Losing Ground in Pursuit of Top 150 Recruiting Target

Not long ago, the Wisconsin Badgers football program was considered the odds-on favorite to land 4-star, top-150 recruiting target Tariq Hayer. 

Hayer had initially announced that he would commit on Christmas Day, but chose to push back his decision in favor of taking additional visits. 

Standing at 6-foot, 175 pounds, the Washington D.C. native is regarded as the nation’s No. 114 overall recruit, the No. 15 cornerback, and the No. 2 player in the District of Columbia, per the composite recruiting rankings. 

However, this recruitment for the Badgers has taken a disappointing turn. According to a source, Wisconsin football has fallen out of favor with Hayer since losing safeties coach Colin Hitschler. 

It’s now believed that Notre Dame, Cincinnati, and Maryland are the front runners for his services, with Alabama also being in the mix. 

Wisconsin Football Coaching Staff Needs to Pivot at Cornerback 

This update shouldn’t come as a major shock. There was considerable momentum for a potential Tariq Hayer commitment to the Wisconsin football team in December, and the staff felt they were in a good spot.

But Hayer has taken a handful of visits since then, and the sides have drifted a bit. There’s still potential for the Badgers to get an official visit this summer, but at this point, it’s more likely that the staff will lean into their pursuit of other cornerback targets on their board.

Luke Fickell has a strong track record of finding and developing defensive backs dating back to his time at Cincinnati. At Wisconsin, he’s been able to elevate recruiting efforts at cornerback, at least on paper, so a blue-chip recruit cooling on the Badgers isn’t anything to worry about.

We have no idea if they’ll become big-time players during their careers with the Wisconsin football program. Still, Omillio Agard, Amare Snowden, Jonas Duclona, and Jay Harper are four of the top five highest-rated cornerback commits in school history, per 247Sports.

Stay tuned for more Wisconsin Badgers updates.

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