Wisconsin Flips Elite Blue-Chip Linebacker Recruit From Big Ten Rival

Wisconsin football just picked up arguably the biggest win in the Luke Fickell era Saturday night, toppling No. 16 USC with a dominating physical performance against one of the best offenses in the country.

The hits keep on coming for the Badgers this weekend. After the huge Week 8 win pushed their record to 5-2 (3-1 Big Ten) and jettisoned them into the AP Top 25, Wisconsin notched a big win on the recruiting trail as well.

The Badgers just flipped Penn State linebacker commit Blake Betton of Shakopee, Minnesota, adding to their loaded 2027 recruiting class.

BREAKING: Four-Star LB Blake Betton has Flipped his Commitment from Penn State to Wisconsin, he tells me for @Rivals

The 6’3 205 LB had been Committed to the Nittany Lions since April

“Badger Nation, we home 🦡 🔴⚪️”⁰⁰https://t.co/WSx3jGX9Dm pic.twitter.com/9snlKxZkSB
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) October 25, 2026

Betton is a four-star linebacker prospect on On3/Rivals and a three-star on 247Sports. On3/Rivals has him as the No. 40 linebacker in the country and the No. 4 player in the state of Minnesota, while 247Sports lists him as the No. 51 linebacker and the No. 5 player in Minnesota.

The 6-3, 205-pound linebacker lists 25 offers including Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Auburn, among many others.

Betton had been committed to Penn State since April. 11. But as the Nittany Lions have stumbled to a 3-4 record and an 0-4 start in Big Ten play, with Wisconsin surpassing expectations and notching two top-20 wins across its first seven games (including a head-to-head victory over the Nittany Lions), not to mention the Badgers' defense playing like one of the most fearsome units in the country Saturday night against USC, there's no shortage of reasons why Wisconsin is the more appealing program at the minute.

Give a lot of credit to inside linebackers coach Tuf Borland, who already has a verbal commitment from linebacker Cale Britt in the 2028 class, and now adds another pledge to his 2027 haul that already features three-star Keaton Wollan from Amery, Wisconsin and three-star Nathan Jones from Goodyear, Arizona.

With the addition of Betton, Wisconsin football's 2027 recruiting class takes a leap in both On3/Rivals and 247Sports national rankings. The Badgers check in at No. 26 nationally on both websites at the moment, sitting with 23 commits in hand. Both websites award Wisconsin with six blue-chip recruits.

The early national signing period for football (Dec. 2—Dec. 4) is just 38 days away as Wisconsin looks to hang onto a very solid 2027 class.

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