Luke Fickell reveals crucial trait Wisconsin Badgers looked for in 2026 recruits

Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers' staff were intentionally picky about who they wanted to invest in for their 2026 recruiting class.

He identified a key trait that was critical for the players they were going to bring in as freshmen.

They have to be college football ready. They have to able to contribute right away.

"Where we are, you've got to feel like the guys can get on the field," Fickell said Wednesday. "A lot of that has to do with some natural ability, but a lot of it has to do with a size that you have to have as well."

#Badgers Luke Fickell says there’s been a philosophy shift in how many HS recruits they are looking for, putting more of an emphasis on finding guys who can come in and play with current roster restrictions.

Wisconsin has 12 recruits signed so far.
— Cam Wilhorn (@CamWilhorn) December 3, 2025

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Fickell knows the Badgers have to be more competitive in 2026.

He doesn't have time to load up his roster with freshmen who need years to develop before they can contribute on the field, especially with roster limits smaller under the new revenue sharing model.

A big part of that was an emphasis on recruits who can early enroll and join the team in January instead of the summer.

"Being here in January was a really, really big thing for us," Fickell said. "If you can't come in January, I think you're starting to look at guys and say, 'Well, how do we have a chance to play this guy in year one if they're not here in January?'"

He pointed to Mason Posa as an exception to that, but it's clear the true freshman linebacker has special talent that rises above normal first-year players.

The other exception in Fickell's eyes is the big guys up front, mainly on the offensive line.

He only added one in this class, four-star Boston College flip Brady Bekkenhuis.

Related: Physical, blue-collared offensive lineman Brady Bekkenhuis signs with the Wisconsin Badgers

"Offensive lineman might be the one area that's a little bit different," Fickell said. "I don't even know that you can say you're going to invest in [developing] a defensive lineman unless he's an interior guy maybe, unless you don't have some idea that they can step on the field for you."

Fickell signed two defensive linemen in the 2026 class. He sees Djidjou Bah from Memphis, Tennessee and Arhtur Scott from Streetsboro, Ohio as ready to earn snaps in the rotation as freshmen.

Scott is already listed at 6-foot-3, 305 pounds coming in.

Fickell also noted that the Badgers brought in five offensive linemen in the 2025 class, none of whom played in their freshman year, and he didn't think it would be wise to load up again at a position where the first-year guys won't contribute.

"You have to have those guys that you truly believe that, if they can't play in year one, they have to play in year two," Fickell said. "We feel good about that from last year's class, with a few of those guys that redshirted this year and were in the mix."

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