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4-star Wisconsin football defensive back target commits to SEC school

An Illinois native will head south rather than to the University of Wisconsin football program.
Jake Kocorowski|
3-star 2026 defensive back Messiah Tilson watched Wisconsin football's April 24 spring practice inside Camp Randall Stadium.
3-star 2026 defensive back Messiah Tilson watched Wisconsin football's April 24 spring practice inside Camp Randall Stadium. | Jake Kocorowski

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An Illinois defensive back will south to play in the SEC rather than the University of Wisconsin football program.

Messiah Tilson, who plays for Rockford Guilford, announced Monday his commitment to Kentucky.

Tilson currently is a four-star recruit by 247Sports and ESPN, and he was projected to play safety at Wisconsin. He named the Badgers among his top six programs in early May alongside Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Minnesota and Rutgers.

Tilson took an official visit to Wisconsin in late April. His Instagram page also shows photo shoots at Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky and Rutgers, which would denote official visits to those programs.

He also recently refined his top schools list to the Badgers, Scarlet Knights, Gophers and Wildcats.

Wisconsin has received one verbal commitment from a projected safety in three-star recruit Zachary Taylor (Katy Jordan, Texas), who announced his decision Friday.

The Badgers have hosted other safety targets on official visits within the last month, including Nick Reddish (Charlotte Independence), Chase Geter (Ashburn Stone Ridge, Virginia) and Georgia teammates Jowell Combay and Tony Forney Jr. (Marietta Kell).

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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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