MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin's football program picked up its 11th verbal commitment for the Class of 2014 on Monday, and it may have been one of the biggest pledges yet.
D.J. Gillins, one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, announced his decision to commit to the Badgers during an interview on the Southern Pigskin Radio Network. Gillins, a 6-foot-3, 190-pounder from Jacksonville, Fla., picked Wisconsin over offers from Arizona, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and West Virginia, among others.
Anthony Flynn, Gillins' football coach at Jean Ribault High School, described Gillins as a smart player capable of making big plays on the ground and in the air.
"I feel D.J. can do both," Flynn told FOXSportsWisconsin.com. "He can drop back, he can roll out. He makes good decisions on when to run the ball. And I think he's a pro-type of quarterback that's got all the tools, basically. He's going to fit in well with the system coach has for him. He wants to throw the ball. He can run. But he wants to throw the ball. And he throws all types of balls very well."
The 2013 season will represent Gillins' first at Ribault. He transferred there after spending three years at Eagle's View High School, also in Jacksonville. Gillins missed nearly his entire junior season after sustaining an ACL injury during the season opener. Still, he put up impressive enough numbers in his first two seasons as a high school quarterback to garner interest from college programs across the country.
Gillins earned honorable mention all-state in Class 2A as a sophomore at Eagle's View. That season, he passed for 2,667 yards with 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions. As a freshman, he tallied 2,188 yards with 22 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
Gillins, a Scout.com three-star recruit, originally committed to Texas Tech in November but reopened his recruitment a month later when head coach Tommy Tuberville left to coach at Cincinnati. Although Wisconsin's coaching staff stepped in late, led by offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig's efforts, the Badgers clearly left an impression.
"They were sending him a lot of letters," Flynn said. "The communication was great. They were real with him. The word he used, they showed him a lot of love. He just felt like he was going to get a great opportunity to play right away."
Gillins' commitment follows a pattern of dual-threat signal callers for first-year Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen and his staff in their recruitment of quarterbacks.
Junior college transfer Tanner McEvoy was recruited, in part, for his running ability. And Class of 2015 commit Austin Kafentzis also has the ability to run or throw. He rushed for 1,884 yards and 26 touchdowns in addition to passing for 3,018 yards and 32 touchdowns on his way to earning Utah's Mr. Football Award as a sophomore last season. Additionally, Andersen experienced great success at Utah State with dual-threat quarterback Chuckie Keeton.
Flynn said his team would still adopt several plays that mirror more of Wisconsin's pro-style scheme to better prepare him for the college game. And he expects big things for Gillins and Ribault High in their one season together.
"I told the guys today in our meeting that with D.J., my exact words were, 'With D.J., we should have two wins without the coaching staff,'" Flynn said. "With the coaching staff, we should win the rest of the games. He's smart and has leadership ability. He should be able to win two games without us. That’s how much confidence I have in him.
"We sling the football, but now we add the run in it with Wisconsin-type stuff. We were going to put him up under the center, get him prepared without knowing he was going to Wisconsin. I had a feeling that’s the way he was leaning toward."
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