Wisconsin Badgers land Nigel Hayes

The Wisconsin Badgers received a commitment yesterday from one of the top ten recruits in the state of Ohio with a pledge from high-end three-star power forward Nigel Hayes. The Toledo-area prospect chose Wisconsin over offers from the Ohio State Buckeyes and Stanford Cardinal, and he also took an official visit to the Minnesota Gophers.

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Hayes becomes the fifth commitment in the 2013 class for the Badgers, and he gives Bo Ryan a ton of athleticism at the PF spot and can also play at the 3 due to his length. The 6’7″, 200 pound prospect was thought to be an OSU lock when the Buckeyes offered him, but he kept things even throughout with his top three before deciding on UW yesterday.

The Badgers new 2013 commit was a fast riser this summer and is regarded as one of the top 175 prospects in the nation and a top 25 recruit in the Midwest. Nigel Hayes is a dangerous shooter at the PF position and is a solid rebounder and defensive player, but he isn’t as strong as most PFs and is more of a face-up shooter than a post player.

Hayes is the second power forward commit in Ryan’s 2013 class and the second best prospect behind four-star PG Bronson Koenig, who was a huge in-state catch and one of the top 100 prospects in the nation. This was another solid addition for the Badgers, and it’s going to be interesting to see how he transitions to the collegiate level and which position he ends up playing for Wisconsin.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.