Kayden Lyles to Wisconsin: Badgers Land 4-Star OG Prospect

Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst is racking up the miles on the recruiting trail on Thursday. First, he secured the commitment of 4-star defensive tackle Garrett Rand, per Badgers247's Evan Flood. Later on in the evening, 4-star offensive guard Kayden Lyles announced he's heading to Madison, Wisconsin.

Lyles confirmed his commitment on Twitter:

Unlike Rand, Lyles won't join the Badgers until 2017. According to 247Sports' composite rankings, he is the No. 4 guard and No. 95 player overall in the 2017 recruiting class.

Flood pictured what members of the Wisconsin coaching staff and roster are doing to celebrate the imminent arrivals of Rand and Lyles:    

Lyles' brother, Kare'—a member of the 2016 class—committed to the Badgers back in March, and Richard Obert of AZCentral.com wrote the connection between the Lyles family and Wisconsin football goes back a generation:

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The brothers' father, Kevin, was a tight end on Wisconsin's 1993 team, which beat UCLA in the Rose Bowl.

Former Pittsburgh coach Paul Chryst, the new Wisconsin head coach, played quarterback for the Badgers in the late 1980s. His offensive coordinator is Joe Rudolph, who was teammates with Kevin Lyles and captain of the Wisconsin 1993 team. Rudolph also works with the offensive linemen.

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Over the years, Wisconsin has seemingly produced an assembly line of massive offensive linemen who have opened up running lanes for the likes of Melvin Gordon, Montee Ball, James White, P.J. Hill, Michael Bennett and Ron Dayne.

In that regard, Kayden Lyles (6'3", 290 lbs) will fit right in with the Badgers. He's a tremendous run-blocker who can overpower opposing defensive linemen in close quarters and also move around in order to open up holes a little further downfield.

Lyles leaves a little bit to be desired as a pass-blocker, but that issue will be mitigated by the fact he'll almost certainly play at guard when he joins the team.

As long as he stays healthy and continues to improve, Lyles should become a key member of the Badgers offensive line in a few years.

Note: Recruit star rankings are courtesy of 247Sports.