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2026 Illinois receiver commits to Big Ten rival, a day after Wisconsin Badgers land 4-star recruit

An Illinois standout will play in the Big Ten Conference, just not for the University of Wisconsin football program. Here's what could be next for the Badgers.
Jake Kocorowski|
Wisconsin wide receivers coach Jordan Reid at Badgers summer camp June 10 inside Camp Randall Stadium.
Wisconsin wide receivers coach Jordan Reid at Badgers summer camp June 10 inside Camp Randall Stadium. | Courtesy of Jake Kocorowski

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An Illinois standout will play in the Big Ten Conference, just not for the University of Wisconsin football program.

Zachary Washington, a wide receiver at Wheaton St. Francis, announced Monday via On3 his commitment to Michigan State.

He’s a three-star recruit by On3, 247Sports and Rivals who placed Wisconsin among his top seven schools in May. 

Washington was a long-time target who announced an offer from Wisconsin in April 2024. He’s been to Madison multiple times, the most recent being his official visit with the Badgers the weekend of May 29-June 1. He also took an official visit to Michigan State earlier this month and had previously tweeted about scheduling one to West Virginia for last weekend.

Washington’s commitment to the Spartans comes one day after the Badgers secured the verbal pledge of Zion Legree, a four-star receiver by Rivals who will play for Destin High School in Florida. Legree took an official visit to Wisconsin this past weekend, and he joined three-star recruit Tayshon Bardo (Mishawaka Penn, Indiana) as the two receivers in the Badgers’ 2026 class.

Reid and the Badgers staff may not be done at the wide receiver position, even with Washington's commitment to a conference foe. Four-star recruit Jayden Petit (Naples St. John Neumann, Florida) will return to Madison for an unofficial visit early this week. A source confirmed the news, which was first reported by 247Sports.

Wisconsin Badgers On SI has directly reached out to Petit for confirmation.

This would be the fourth time Petit would be in Madison since March. He most recently took an official visit to Wisconsin the weekend of May 29-June 1 while making unofficial visits in March and April.

"They're really high up there, pretty high up there," Petit said June 4 of where Wisconsin stands.

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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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