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Wisconsin Badgers have no OL commits for 2026 after another recruit flips to Big Ten rival

The Wisconsin Badgers lost both of their scholarship offensive linemen in the 2026 recruiting class this week.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin offensive line coach AJ Blazek gives instructions to his group during spring practice outside Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin
Wisconsin offensive line coach AJ Blazek gives instructions to his group during spring practice outside Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin | Mark Stewart / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers lost both of their scholarship offensive linemen in the 2026 recruiting class this week.

On Monday, it was three-star offensive tackle Maddox Cochrane from Virginia who de-committed the program.

Then on Wednesday, three-star offensive lineman Benjamin Nokak flipped from Wisconsin to his in-state school of Indiana.

In the span of two days, Luke Fickell was left with no scholarship offensive line commitments for the 2026 class, two weeks before the early signing period begins.

They do have a priority walk-on offer accepted from in-state lineman Aiden Dirksen from Bay Port, but the recruiting staff now has its work cut out for it to rebuild the future of its trenches.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers adding to in-state football recruiting for 2026 with priority walk-ons

Offensive line coach A.J. Blazek got rolling quickly, extending a scholarship offer Wednesday morning to four-star lineman Brady Bekkenhuis from Maryland, who is currently committed to play at Boston College.

The Badgers also still have standing offers to a few uncommitted offensive linemen, including three-star prospect James Thomas from Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

At the same time, Fickell's staff have to be concerned about the growing trend of recruits de-committing from their 2026 class. Novak makes it four who have changed their mind in-season.

The loss of these two linemen will be big, but they have to make sure to limit the damage and prevent an exodus from Madison.

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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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