Earlier on Wednesday the Badgers got the news that 4-star tight end/athlete David Edwards would become a Badger. On Wednesday night it became a two-for day as Loganville (Ga.) Grayson outside linebacker Mohamed Barry verbally committed to Wisconsin as well.
With the 3-star linebacker in the fold, Wisconsin’s 2015 recruiting class now has 15 verbal commitments and room is becoming scarce as we head towards the fall. Barry chose Wisconsin over South Florida, Wake Forest, North Carolina State and Syracuse. It was between the Badgers and Orange, but after camping at Wisconsin this past weekend Barry chose not to visit Syracuse and become a Badger instead.
The 6’1″, 200-pound Barry is the No. 81-ranked outside linebacker in the 247Sports composite rankings and the No. 123-ranked player in the state of Georgia for the 2015 class. Barry also becomes Wisconsin’s first player from the state of Georgia in this class, which makes it two years in a row for UW landing players out of the Peach State.
As a player, Barry impresses with speed off the edge, and a significant pop as well. However, what really stands out is his ability to sniff out a play no matter where he’s at on the field. The film shows Barry lining up inside at times and playing off the edge — and getting the same results. This kid doesn’t stop until someone gets hit. His energy for the game is also something that stands out, especially after big plays where he is pumping up the team and not just showing off.
Beyond Barry pledging to Wisconsin, this is a big story for UW because it’s running back coach Thomas Brown’s first pull from his home state. In many interviews Barry has noted how the relationship Brown developed with him, and his cache as one of the best Georgia Bulldogs of the last decade, helped seal the deal. It was a relationship that Barry had since Brown was at Marshall, and knowing he was able to continue that and bring him to the Badgers shows his prowess on the recruiting trail.
Barry is the fourth linebacker to join the 2015 class, with Nick Thomas, Chris Orr and Nate Howard all committing this past week as well.
As for the Badgers, nothing has really changed in the 247Sports rankings. UW is still No. 14 nationally, although they are now less than 14 points away from No. 13 Tennessee (who was 30 points ahead after Edwards commitment earlier in the day). In the Big Ten, the Badgers are the No. 2-ranked team, sitting well behind Penn State and well ahead of No. 3 Nebraska.
Evan Flood, the co-host of Badgers Power Hour and Publisher of Badger247 noted in the podcast this week that Barry and Thomas were the top of the board for UW at outside linebacker. If true (and there’s no reason to doubt Evan’s information), UW landing the guys they covet is a massive victory on the recruiting trail.
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