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Big Ten rivals trying to flip Wisconsin Badgers TE commit to play defense instead

At least two Big Ten rivals are trying to get a Wisconsin Badgers tight end commit to not only flip schools but also flip positions.
Lorin Cox|
Detroit Catholic Central‘s Jack Janda committed to the Wisconsin Badgers as a tight end, but other Big Ten schools want him to play defense
Detroit Catholic Central‘s Jack Janda committed to the Wisconsin Badgers as a tight end, but other Big Ten schools want him to play defense | Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Jack Janda from Detroit Catholic Central High School is committed to the Wisconsin Badgers to play tight end.

At least two Big Ten schools are trying to get him to not only flip schools but also flip positions.

According to Rivals national recruiting reporter Greg Smith, both Iowa and Michigan State are making strong pushes to steal Janda away from Wisconsin.

The twist is, they want him to play defensive end, not tight end.

Janda is listed at 6-foot-6, and various sites have him weighing anywhere from 220 to 250 pounds.

He certainly has the size to rush off of the edge, and he's had more success on defense during his senior season.

Related: Where Wisconsin Badgers' 2026 football recruiting class ranks, one month from National Signing Day

According to Max Preps, he has caught just seven passes for 111 yards and a touchdown this season. But on defense, he has six sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

Perhaps Wisconsin could re-classify him throughout the process too, given that the Badgers have another tight end recruit signed in the 2026 class: Jack Sievers from Archbishop Murphy in Everett, Washington.

Still, ESPN ranks Janda as the No. 7 tight end recruit in the country. 247 Sports has him ranked 45th, and Rivals has him at No. 106.

Either way, Fickell and his staff recognize they have a talented football prospect commited to their program.

They need to make sure he makes it to Madison and doesn't flip after upcoming visits to Iowa and Michigan State.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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