Big Ten Recruiting: Marcus Ball joins brother in Wisconsin
(Video courtesy ScoutingOhio)
Recruiting has been a ball for Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema the past few seasons.
Well, at least the Ball family.
DB Marcus Ball, the brother for Badgers OG Ray Ball, committed to Wisconsin last week. The three-star prospect from Westerville (Ohio) South, had offers from nearly 20 schools, including Southern Cal, Penn State, Arizona State and Notre Dame, according to Rivals.com.
“Pretty much I loved it here and enjoyed it so much and having my brother here is a big factor,” Marcus told ESPN.com. “He can show me the looks and the coaches have been pretty loyal to me. I loved the atmosphere since day one and got to see it on a more personal level for three years now.
“I definitely feel like it's right.”
Marcus was so enamored with the Badgers, he cancelled a trip to visit the Sun Devils.
“I'm done now. I'm loyal,” he told the website. “If God hits you and says this is how you feel, why go visit other places. I don't want to be of those guys committed and unloyal.”
Wisconsin also scored a verbal from Georgia Military College DB Tiquention Coleman just before Thanksgiving. The junior college standout has 50 tackles, 11 passes defended, three interceptions and three forced fumbles this season.
Junior college boost:
The Fighting Illini have had eight junior college players since 2005, and now have commitments from DB Zane Petty from American River College in Sacramento, Calif., and WR Martize Barr from Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Petty, a 6-foot-1, 180-pounder, has 80 tackles and seven interceptions this year. Barr, a 6-foot, 200-pounder, has 25 catches for 426 yards with five touchdowns this season.
The Illinois 2013 class currently sits at 21 commitments for Beckman and his staff.
Husker high: The Nebraska Cornhuskers may have found the replacement for star RB Rex Burkhead.
The Legends Division champs scored a commitment from four-star RB Adam Taylor, according to Rivals.com. Taylor, who plays for Katy (Texas) High, has rushed for nearly 1,600 yards and 26 touchdowns this season for one of the top prep teams in the nation. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder had offers from schools such as Oklahoma, Arkansas and Stanford.
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