East St. Louis receiver Kraig Appleton has signed this morning with Wisconsin instead of Illinois, but the Illini snagged their top receiving target when East St. Louis’ Terry Hawthorne announced his decision. The Appleton signing was announced on the Wisconsin athletic web site.

Hawthorne disclosed his decision in a press conference at the high school at 9 a.m. Illinois was finally able to confirm at 10:25 when his letter of intent was faxed to the school.

According to the Wisconsin web site blog: “Coach just got off the phone with Kraig’s mom and told her that he saw a couple coaches doing cartwheels down the hallway when his letter came in.”

Appleton reportedly committed to the Illini in the fall but had wavered on the decision recently. The week started with a great deal of uncertainty about his choice of schools.

He sent his letter of intent to Wisconsin before a signing ceremony at East St. Louis High School. He arrived for the press conference wearing a Wisconsin hat and shirt, according to Post-Dispatch reporter Ken Roberts.

While many players sent their letters of intent before making announcements at school, Hawthorne and East St. Louis defensive back Tommie Hopkins kept people waiting in Champaign. But they announced this morning they have signed with the Illini, Roberts reports. Hawthorne was named the top receiver in the country by Parade Magazine recently and is widely considered the best player at any position in Illinois.

Hawthorne is rated the No. 6 receiver nationally by Rivals.com and No. 11 by Scout.com. Appleton is No. 25 by Rivals and No. 19 by Scout. Hawthorne said he made his decision on Sunday morning in a close call over Oklahoma, where he made an official visit.

Hawthorne said one reason he wanted to stay close to home is to be near his brother, Antonio, who suffers from sickle cell anemia.

The Illini received another surprise in the last 24 hours when four-star running back/cornerback Justin Green signed after de-committing from Ohio  State. His letter of intent has been received by the Illinois coaches.

Illinois lost another previous commit when defensive end Craig Drummond, a four-star recruit, signed with Mississippi.