BTN.com staff, March 28, 2012

Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema announced Wednesday that former Maryland quarterback Danny O'Brien has committed to the Badgers. O'Brien, who started 17 games for the Terps the last two seasons, also visited Ole Miss, Penn State and Vanderbilt. He was just at Penn State on Tuesday, in fact.

[AP: Wisconsin signs Maryland QB Danny O'Brien]

O'Brien's commitment marks the second consecutive year Bielema and the Badgers have turned to an ACC QB transfer. A year ago, of course, Wisconsin lured ex-North Carolina State QB Russell Wilson away from minor league baseball, and that turned out pretty well. Wilson led the Badgers to their second straight Rose Bowl and broke just about every program record along the way.

Bielema seems just as pleased about O'Brien as he was Wilson.

Danny O'Brien
Mitch Stringer-US PRESSWIRE

"We're excited that Danny has chosen to attend Wisconsin," Bielema said in a statement. "The first thing we did when we were aware of Danny's interest was to try and find out what type of person he was and if he would fit into our program. He had a fantastic visit and our current players who met him came away impressed. Having graduated from Maryland in just three years, you know right away that he is a smart kid."

At Maryland, O'Brien earned FWAA Freshman All-America honors in 2010 after throwing for 2,438 yards and 22 touchdowns in 10 starts. He was also named ACC Rookie of the Year and finished the season ranked fourth in the league in pass efficiency. O'Brien led Maryland to a 9-4 record and a win over East Carolina in the Military Bowl.

https://twitter.com/#!/DannyOBrien5/status/185053361882664960

https://twitter.com/#!/M_Ball28/status/185049355244408832

Read the full release at UWBadgers.com.