7 Badgers football recruits named to WFCA all-state team in Wisconsin

Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers have been criticized over in-state recruiting in recent years, but they've landed some of the top Wisconsin high school football players from the 2025 season.

Appleton North High School's Ben Wenzel (7) tackles Bay Port High School's Tommy Kemen (3) during a WIAA Division 1 first round playoff game on Friday, October 24, 2025, at Bay Port High School in Suamico, Wis. Bay Port won the game, 41-6. | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers have been criticized over in-state recruiting in recent years, but they've landed some of the top Wisconsin high school football players from the 2025 season.

The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association released its annual all-state team for this year, and five Badgers recruits earned a spot on the list.

It's headlined by Waunakee defensive lineman McCoy Smith, who was named Defensive Player of the Year for the entire state.

He committed to UW as a preferred walk-on, and he's expected to play offense as a 5-foot-10, 220 pound fullback and tight end.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers adding to in-state football recruiting for 2026 with priority walk-ons

Fickell's only in-state scholarship athlete also made all-state. Appleton North linebacker Ben Wenzel is a three-star recruit that ESPN ranks as a Top 25 LB in the country.

Other future Badgers on the list include Bay Port offensive lineman Aiden Dirksen and Sun Prairie East kicker/punter Brady Melum, who both accepted preferred walk-on offers for the school.

A couple of other in-state recruiting targets for Wisconsin are on the list, though those players have not announced a commitment to the program

The biggest name the Badgers are still pursuing on the all-state team is Germantown offensive lineman Cole Reiter. He is rated as a four-star recruit and the No. 2 player in the state for the class of 2027.

More recently, Fickell's staff made a scholarship offer to Waukesha Catholic Memorial wide receiver Dustin Roach, who is currently unrated in the 2027 class.

MORE: Luke Fickell recruiting more in-state talent for Wisconsin Badgers 2027 class than previous years

In the 2026 class, the Badgers offered all-state Reedsburg running back Will Mikonowicz a preferred walk-on spot to play safety. He has yet to make a decision on that offer.

Fickell hasn't landed all of the top recruits in the state, but lists like these show UW is making a concerted effort to recruit some of the better players Wisconsin has to offer.

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