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Wisconsin Badgers outside linebacker target set to announce commitment Friday

The University of Wisconsin football program should know more about where they stand with two 2026 targets at a key position by the end of the week.
Jake Kocorowski|
2026 4-star outside linebacker Jackson Samuels Ford poses for photos during his official visit to the University of Wisconsin football program.
2026 4-star outside linebacker Jackson Samuels Ford poses for photos during his official visit to the University of Wisconsin football program. | Courtesy of Jackson Samuels Ford

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Wisconsin Badgers

The University of Wisconsin football program should know more about where they stand with two 2026 targets at a key position by the end of the week.

The latest recruit to unveil a commitment date is consensus four-staroutside linebacker Jackson Samuels Ford. He released Tuesday his final four of Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin and said he will announce his commitment Friday.

Samuels Ford met with Badgers and fellow recruits on his recent official visit to Wisconsin the weekend of May 29-June 1, a trip that he said "went really well."

"It was like a surreal feeling," Samuels Ford said June 1. "It was very exciting.

"And ... they set the bar extremely high."

Samuels Ford also took official visits to Kentucky, Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan in the past month.

Another Wisconsin edge rushing target, three-star recruit Ben Duncum (Austin Lake Travis, Texas), will announce Wednesday his commitment to a program.

The Badgers do not have a projected outside linebacker for its 2026 class. Carmelow Reed flipped to Mississippi earlier this month, and four-star target McHale Blade committed to Michigan.

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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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