Badgers' Top Incoming Recruit Makes Bold Declaration About his Wisconsin Career

Mekhi Williams has already placed high expectations on himself.

Wisconsin DB target Mekhi Williams. | @Mekhiwilliams_

Wisconsin football's top-ranked verbal pledge in the 2027 cycle has big plans in Madison.

Consensus four-star defensive back Mekhi Williams from Ruskin, Florida is the Badgers' highest-rated recruit on both 247Sports and On3/Rivals, checking in at No. 193 in the nation on the latter and No. 121 nationally on the former.

His hype has also skyrocketed considerably even after he signed with Wisconsin, going viral for a ridiculous interception at a Florida Gators camp.

Williams has unsurprisingly continued to receive plenty of interest on the recruiting trail, but the top player in Wisconsin's 2027 class has remained loyal to the Badgers, and has been quite vocal about it as well.

Monday afternoon, he posted a picture to X declaring he's coming for the Jim Thorpe Trophy, the annual award given to college football's top defensive back.

Soon I will be playing in Camp Randell, I will also win the JIM THORPE award! Believe it, and save the date. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/8qi7xaER0m

— Mekhi Williams 4⭐️ Defensive back (@Mekhiwilliams__) July 13, 2026

The Jim Thorpe Award, which has been presented annually since 1986, is one of the most prestigious honors in the sport. The 2025 recipient, Ohio State's Caleb Downs, was the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Could Williams win Wisconsin's second ever Jim Thorpe Trophy?

Jamar Fletcher returns a fourth quarter interception for a touchdown at the Rose Bowl. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There's only been 41 Jim Thorpe winners ever, including a two-way tie in 1987, the year after its inception. Still, a Badger has taken home the trophy in the past — Jamar Fletcher did it in 2000.

The two-time All-American went on to get selected with the No. 26 pick in the 2001 draft and play eight seasons in the NFL. He's one of Wisconsin's all-time greats.

In terms of Williams' prospects at winning the award? It would obviously put him in incredibly rare air, and he won't even make it to campus until next winter, at the very earliest. Despite all of the hype, the stars, the views and the clicks, we can't say with any kind of certainty what kind of defensive back Williams will be at the college level just yet.

What we can say with some certainty? Williams is Wisconsin's most hyped-up defensive back recruit in recent memory. Xavier Lucas, another corner from Florida, was also a pretty big deal upon his arrival in Madison. But even he didn't receive the same kind of viral attention while he was still just a junior on high school.