Wisconsin Badgers will soon get definitive answer from top in-state recruit for 2027

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The Wisconsin Badgers are recruiting the No. 1 in-state prospect for the class of 2027, and he's eager to make a decision on his college future.
Four-star tight end Korz Loken from Iola-Scandinavia High School told Rivals that he's planning on committing to a school on January 10.
Luke Fickell and his staff have been in on his recruitment, but more schools are entering the mix as his decision day approaches.
Penn State has entered the picture for 2027 4-star TE Korz Loken as his commitment nears, via @GregSmithRivals⌛️
— Rivals (@Rivals) December 10, 2025
Read: https://t.co/Loj4hwlqL1 pic.twitter.com/otoj6rbq2d
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Loken was being heavily recruited by Iowa State, but head coach Matt Campbell going to Penn State now brings the Nittany Lions into the discussion.
He also has offers from major schools like Notre Dame, Florida State, Indiana, Auburn, Illinois and Minnesota, but the Badgers are still viewed as the favorite to land the star from Central Wisconsin.
He visited Madison for the game against Maryland, and he stopped by for spring practices earlier this year too.
The 6-foot-5, 205 pound athlete is ranked as a Top 5 tight end in the country by 247 Sports, while ESPN ranks him as a Top 200 player nationwide.
Related: Wisconsin in-state recruiting target rises to Top 5 in the country for Class of 2027
His recruitment will be a good measure of Fickell's ability to keep the top in-state kids within their borders, amid plenty of criticism about too much talent leaving Wisconsin to play elsewhere.
Even if the Badgers land his commitment on January 10, they'll still have to fight to keep him from flipping for a full 11 months before he can sign his letter of intent.
On the other hand, if he commits elsewhere next month, Fickell will have close to a year to try and change his mind.
“I’ve always wanted to play for them…I’d love to put that red and white on.”
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) August 22, 2025
Korz Loken -- the No. 1 player in Wisconsin for the 2027 class and a top 10 TE in the country -- joined us on @The_Camp_WI to discuss his game, his recruitment and more. https://t.co/L5jXM9kIBB pic.twitter.com/sPdxq0y5LV
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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.