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Wisconsin Badgers coaches forming close bond with 2026 safety recruit from Illinois

Relationships and bonds with coaches are a priority for 2026 safety Messiah Tilson, which is something Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers staff have established with the three-star recruit.
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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Wisconsin Badgers

Relationships and bonds with coaches are a priority for 2026 safety Messiah Tilson, which is something Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers staff have established with the three-star recruit.

Tilson, who plays for Rockford Guilford in Illinois, released Tuesday his top six schools. Wisconsin, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Minnesota and Rutgers all made the list.

Assistant coach Jack Cooper joined the Badgers staff in 2023 and has worked his way up to safeties coach in the winter offseason. He's one of the reasons why the Badgers made the cut for Tilson.

"Me and coach Coop [have been] pretty close throughout this whole process," Tilson said. "Now I'm starting to open up to him a little bit more and just better talking to him about really anything, even if it's not football."

"And then going on my OV [official visit] there, I can't remember if it was this just last week or a week ago, but going on my OV, I got to get around the players. Those guys are just kind of like myself, just cool, like to laugh and play around. But when it comes down to football, they're serious about football."

Tilson took an official visit to Wisconsin late last month and watched the Badgers' final spring practice April 24. Meetings, hanging out with Badgers athletes and a lot of food were a part of the latest trip to Madison. The current players made an impression on him during the OV.

"Those guys are really cool. Just being able to talk to them was good," Tilson said. "And then just how the staff is all very energetic and just fun to be around, and just being able to have fun with those people was really good. That kind of stood out to me."

Wisconsin projects Tilson, who says he's now at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, to play safety. He's also a track standout that, according to Athletic.net, has run the indoor 60 meters in 6.83 seconds and the outdoor 100 meters in 10.69 within the last year.

His length and speed would allow him to patrol the deeper levels of the defense, and he said he could even come down closer to the line of scrimmage and play in the slot.

Tilson took official visits to Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin last month, but the Badgers also stopped by last week. Cooper and cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes watched Tilson practice and talked more as they grabbed food.

Other upcoming official visits include traveling to Iowa State (June 6-8), Minnesota (June 13-15) and Kansas (June 20-22). The plan is to make a decision before his senior season, and it's still up in the air whether he would enroll early at whatever school he signs with.

Among the factors that Tilson will take into consideration with his commitment is the bond with coaches, development and academics.

"I'd say pretty high, just my bond with coach Coop is kind of really the thing that matters the most," Tilson said of where Wisconsin stands with him. "So that's who I'll be with, so I'd say pretty high, because that bond and just building that trust with him, it's just been great."

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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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