Wisconsin Basketball Close to Landing Elite Local 2027 Recruit

One of Wisconsin Basketball's top targets in the class of 2027 has chosen his finalists and is set to announced his decision next week.

Donovan Davis of Freedom High School in Kaukana — who also plays for Team Herro on the EYBL circuit — announced a top five that includes Wisconsin, Iowa State, Iowa, Nebraska and Marquette.

NEWS: Donovan Davis, Rivals’ No. 32 overall recruit in the 2027 class, is down to five schools and will announce his college commitment on May 6th, he told @Rivals. ⁰⁰The 6-7 forward will decide between Iowa, Nebraska, Iowa State, Marquette, and Wisconsin.… pic.twitter.com/Vv0hExUcKx
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) May 1, 2026

The Badgers have been courting Davis for some time now. The 6-foot-7 forward took his official visit to Madison on April 13, but he'd been on campus a handful of other times in an unofficial capacity.

Davis' reputation proceeds him

Davis is considered an elite recruit no matter who you ask. He's a four-star prospect on both 247Sports and On3/Rivals. Both of the two major recruiting services also have Davis as the No. 2 prospect in Wisconsin in the 2027 cycle behind Milwaukee's Dooney Johnson, a Gonzaga commit. 247 is a little higher on Davis — he's ranked as the No. 42 player in the country, while On3/Rivals has him at No. 82.

The rising high school senior is an athletic, bouncy forward who can jump out of the gym. He's got a budding long-range shot and can drive and play off the dribble while boasting a legit face-up game in the post.

Davis' other four finalists aren't much of a surprise; these are the other programs he saw on his official visit tour in April. The Dairy State native saw Iowa on April 15, Marquette on April 17, Nebraska on April 20 and Iowa State on April 29.

Tough competition for Davis' services

Freedom High School's Donovan Davis. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cyclones are the major player to watch here. Davis has received projections to land in Ames on both 247Sports and On3/Rivals. Iowa State, of course, has an excellent track record recruiting the state of Wisconsin, and that's remained the case as of late. The Cyclones have landed the last two No. 1 players in the Dairy State, Yusef Grey Jr. in 2026 and Jamarion Batemon in 2025.

Thus, Sharif Chambliss — who's leading this recruitment for Wisconsin — has his work cut out for him. The Cyclones are a recruiting machine and they've enjoyed tremendous success in recent years, all while nursing a flourising pipeline from Wisconsin.

Still, the Badgers have options should they loose out on Davis. The basketball talent inside Wisconsin in 2027 is off the charts. There's four consensus four-star prospects and between four and six players ranked inside the top-100, depending on which recruiting service you ask.

The Badgers currently sit at zero pledges in the 2027 recruiting cycle, but they do have five commits in the 2026 class.

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