Wisconsin Badgers’ 2026 recruiting class on pace with Luke Fickell’s previous two classes
Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers are sitting in familiar territory entering a crucial point in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Wisconsin freshman safeties Luke Emmerich, left, and Remington Moss participate in a drill before the Badgers spring football scrimmage April 19.
Wisconsin freshman safeties Luke Emmerich, left, and Remington Moss participate in a drill before the Badgers spring football scrimmage April 19.
Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers are sitting in familiar territory entering a crucial point in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Wisconsin begins its slate of hosting key recruits on the university’s dime during official visits this week. The next three weekends will be vital to filling out most of the program’s 2026 class, which currently has seven recruits who have announced their commitments as of May 26.
That number nearly equals the amount of commits the Badgers had during Fickell’s first full recruiting cycle for the 2024 class at this same time in 2023, but it is behind the 2025 class at this time last year.
It’s worth noting that one 2024 and three 2025 commits eventually did not join the program. If all 2026 commits stick with their verbal pledges and sign with the team, the program could be right in line with both previous cycles.
Wisconsin’s 2024 class started off hot with early four-star recruits committing
The early months of the Fickell era brought a real buzz with the increased recruiting efforts of a staff led by director of recruiting Pat Lambert and former director of player personnel Max Stienecker.
Five of the eight 2024 commits at this time in late May 2023 eventually finished the recruiting cycle designated as four-star recruits by at least one outlet.
Those were quarterback Mabrey Mettauer, tight end Grant Stec, offensive lineman Derek Jensen, linebacker Thomas Heiberger and wide receiver Kyan Berry-Johnson.
Wisconsin wide receiver Kyan Berry-Johnson (22) is shown during spring football practice
Wisconsin wide receiver Kyan Berry-Johnson (22) is shown during spring football practice Thursday, April 25, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Badgers football team plays their season opener against Western Michigan on August 31.
Four of these eight commits are now no longer with the program. Defensive back Kahmir Prescott, who committed right after the team’s final spring practice of 2023, eventually did not sign with Wisconsin and is now at Nebraska.
Three of the seven signees – Mettauer, Jensen and tight end Rob Booker II – are no longer with the program after one season. Booker also decommitted from Wisconsin for UCLA in June, but then eventually flipped back to the Badgers in December 2023.
The 11 commits in the 2025 class as of this time last year were greatly aided by four players who gave verbally pledges by the end of 2023 and four spring commitments between April and May 2024. Eight of them came from different states (Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio, Tennessee, New Jersey, Michigan, Minnesota).
Three of those 11 players finished the 2025 cycle with four-star ratings by at least one outlet: defensive back Jai’mier Scott, offensive linemen Cam Clark and safety Luke Emmerich.
Defensive backs Scott, Emmerich, Grant Dean and Remington Moss, offensive lineman Michael Roesek and linebacker Cooper Catalano all enrolled at Wisconsin this January.
But three of the 11 commits at this point last year – quarterback Landyn Locke (Sam Houston State), linebacker Brenden Anes (Tennessee) and wide receiver Cam Miller (Kentucky) – eventually moved on to other programs.
Locke stayed in Texas but headed southeast to join Mettauer and former Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo at Sam Houston State.
Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo is shown during football practice Wednesday, August 14, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin
Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo is shown during football practice Wednesday, August 14, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin’s 2026 class has work to do, but trending along similar lines to previous two cycles
Only one player in the 2026 class, quarterback Ryan Hopkins (Santa Ana Mater Dei, California), is designated as a four-star recruit by at least one outlet.
But the Badgers have received good news for a few position groups early on as they have during the previous two cycles, landing commitments at quarterback, outside and inside linebacker, offensive line and wide receiver.
Wisconsin’s 2026 class is represented by recruits from California, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Virginia. Three of them – offensive lineman Benjamin Novak, wide receiver Tayshon Bardo and cornerback Carsen Eloms – are coming from the Hoosier State.
Leave a Reply