The Wisconsin football staff has completed the flip of 2025 defensive lineman Drayden Pavey away from the Purdue Boilermakers.
Pavey, a three-star commitment from Ohio, was a commitment to the Purdue Boilermakers for the past four months. The defensive lineman announced that his commitment to the Boilermakers was no more, and he would re-open his recruitment moving forward. Shortly after, the Wisconsin football team became massive favorites to land the recruitment.
Previously, the Wisconsin football staff recruited Pavey heavily, alongside fellow defensive lineman Kyler Garcia. Both Pavey and Garcia announced commitments to other schools, and the two losses disappointed the Wisconsin football staff. Typically when Wisconsin keys in on a player, they land them, however they lost two players who arguably received plenty of love from the staff.
After Pavey announced his intentions to decommit from the Boilermakers following their forgettable season, the Wisconsin staff was not going to let the defensive lineman commit elsewhere twice.
Just three days after his decommitment, Pavey has announced that he will become a Wisconsin Badger moving forward. Pavey is a big commitment for Wisconsin, and a player the staff believes is receiving a much lower rating than he truly has played up to.
Wisconsin Football Commitment Drayden Pavey Offers Strength, High-Motor Play
While Pavey might be the 724th recruit in the class, the Wisconsin football staff has made it clear that such a ranking is a mistake. The play that Pavey displays on the field should explain why the Wisconsin staff has felt this way about the talented athlete.
Pavey is a big, powerful player at 6-foot-3-inches and roughly 310-pounds with full pads on. The defensive lineman mainly plays power football, knocking down opposing linemen or powering through them towards the ball carrier. However, another important part of the game of Pavey involves his high-motor and willingness to fight until the play ends.
Often, players will start to slow down when the play appears to be over, particularly linemen at times appear to stop fighting through blocks. However, Pavey does just the opposite and consistently works to find ways to make an impact. When the play begins to shift away from Pavey, the lineman works his way back into the play and back into a position to make an impact.
Another important aspect of the play of Pavey involves his intelligent move set that he utilizes against opposing blockers. Pavey knows when to use power, and when he needs to finesse his ways past a blocker in order to make a play. While it may seem minor, it allows Pavey to avoid gassing out and also increases the effectiveness of his play on defense.
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