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Where Wisconsin Badgers 2026 recruiting class stands before early National Signing Day

The Badgers struggles this season have led to plenty of flips and uncertainty in recruiting. That's resulted in what could be Luke Fickell's lowest-rated recruiting class at Wisconsin.
Cam Wilhorn|
Oct 11, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell leads his team out of the tunnel at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ross Harried-Imagn Images
Oct 11, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell leads his team out of the tunnel at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ross Harried-Imagn Images | Ross Harried-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers football team finished its third season under Luke Fickell on Saturday, falling to Minnesota for a second straight year and finishing 4-8.

That means the offseason is officially upon us, and considering Athletic Director Chris McIntosh pledged more financial support to Fickell and the football program, it's a critical offseason for the Badgers.

Wisconsin has had several players from its 2026 class decommit during the closing stretch of the 2025 regular season, but they've also flipped a few recruits to offset the losses.

Here's where the Badgers' 2026 recruiting class stands ahead of National Signing Day.

Badgers 2026 class is the worst under Luke Fickell

Fickell's recruiting has been one of the few positives of his time in Madison. In 2024, his first season at the helm, Wisconsin brought in a top-25 class in the country, according to both Rivals and 247Sports.

He followed it up with a class that ranked 27th by both platforms in 2025.

Between the two classes, Fickell reeled in 18 four-star recruits, and landed a combined 45 pledges.

Wisconsin's 2026 class will fall well short of those numbers.

As of Dec. 1, Wisconsin has just 14 committed players. That list includes JUCO commit Taylor Schaefer, who, despite playing two seasons at Iowa Central Community College, is considered part of the 2026 recruiting class by Rivals and 247Sports.

Given recent NCAA actions, Schaefer may end up with more than two years of eligibility, though that's speculative at this point.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers add in-state LB in transfer portal who dominated at JUCO level.

The group is ranked 67th nationally and stands as the third-worst class in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports. Per Rivals, the Badgers have the 52nd best class nationally and rank 13th in the 18-team conference.

When Wisconsin Badgers on SI checked in one month out from National Signing Day, Wisconsin ranked 37th in Rivals' industry rankings and 62nd according to 247Sports.

Running back Amari Latimer is the only four-star recruit in the class, and the Badgers have had to fight tooth and nail to maintain his pledge this Fall.

Wisconsin had a commitment from four-star wide receiver Jayden Petit, but he flipped to Oklahoma in late November following an official visit.

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The Badgers didn't have a single offensive line commit for a few days after three-stars Maddox Cochrane and Benjamin Novak decommitted and flipped to Indiana and Virginia Tech, respectively.

However, Wisconsin flipped high three-star offensive lineman Brady Bekkenhuis from Boston College to help fill the gap.

Bekkenhuis is the latest player Wisconsin has managed to flip, as Qwantavius Wiggins (FIU), Donovan Dunmore (Oklahoma State) and Yahya Gaad (UCLA) all moved their commitments to Wisconsin in recent months.

The Badgers are in the running to flip another high-quality recruit, as high three-star linebacker and former Louisville commit Karsten Busch has been predicted to join the Badgers 2026 class.

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Cam Wilhorn
CAM WILHORN

Cam Wilhorn is a University of Wisconsin School of Journalism Graduate and Wisconsin native. He's been covering Wisconsin sports since 2023 for outlets like BadgerBlitz.com, Badger of Honor and The Badger Herald.

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