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Wisconsin Badgers 2026 defensive line targets to watch after 3-star recruit commits to Big Ten rival

Wisconsin has seen some of its defensive line targets for the 2026 class commit elsewhere, but there are still plenty of recruits to keep tabs on as official visits start back up soon. Here's who to watch for.
Jake Kocorowski|
Wisconsin defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow is shown during spring football practice Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Wisconsin defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow is shown during spring football practice Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers missed out on a potential addition to its defensive line Friday, but the staff has lined up some key targets who have traveled to Madison or will make their way up to the program in the next month.

Blake Smythe, a three-star defensive lineman, announced he committed to Indiana via Instagram after releasing his top six schools hours earlier. The Hoosiers beat out Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois, Louisville and Michigan State.

Coach Luke Fickell and his Badgers staff have seen a couple potential defensive linemen come off the board recently. Three-star recruit Jake Johnson (Prosper, Texas) declared April 7 his intentions to head to USC, where former Wisconsin director of player personnel Max Stienecker now is part of a souped-up recruiting staff.

Here are a few linemen the program's recruited that are still available as a key stretch of the recruiting calendar continues.

King Liggins (Chicago Brother Rice)

Wisconsin's already hosted one highly sought-after lineman in Liggins, a three-star recruit, on an official visit late last month.

The Badgers then followed that up with sending a significant chunk of their defensive staff to visit Liggins on Thursday, which included defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow. The recruit also took an unofficial visit to Wisconsin in March.

It was a busy month for Liggins, who took April official visits to Iowa and Illinois. He also previously announced official visits to Purdue (May 23-25), Indiana, Kansas State (June 5-7) and Virginia (June 12-15).

Yahya Gaad (Medina South Gibson County, Tennessee)

A three-star recruit that previously gave a commitment to SMU, Gaad visited Wisconsin last month during spring practices then announced an official visit that is set for May 29-June 1. He's also tweeted a scheduled official visit to UCLA from May 16-18.

Jermaine Polk (Toledo St. Francis de Sales, Ohio)

Ohio's continued to be a fertile recruiting ground for Wisconsin under Fickell and former coach Paul Chryst. On3 and 247Sports currently evaluate Polk as a three-star recruit.

He announced April 12 an offer from the Badgers, then declared six days later his plans to return to Madison for an official visit from June 5-8.

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Jake Kocorowski
JAKE KOCOROWSKI

Jake Kocorowski has covered the Wisconsin football program since the 2013 season for a few outlets, most recently at the Wisconsin State Journal/BadgerExtra. He wrote, directed and edited BadgerExtra’s “Rags to Roses” series about the 1993 Wisconsin football team that won second place in the 2023 APSE Division C Project category.

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