The Wisconsin Badgers got some unexpected news earlier this week when 2026 three-star offensive lineman Maddox Cochrane de-committed from the program.
Days later, fellow 2026 three-star offensive lineman
Benjamin Novak flipped his commitment from Wisconsin to the Indiana Hoosiers, delivering another blow to the Badgers’ recruiting class.
Novak, a native of Indiana, was one of Wisconsin’s longest-standing commits, having verbally pledged to the program in October of 2024. Since then, there hadn’t seemed to be much movement in his recruitment. Novak took only one official visit in the summer, which was to Wisconsin.
Well, Novak is now heading to his in-state school, committing to the Hoosiers amid their likely playoff push.
He was projected as an interior offensive lineman for the Badgers, with Cochrane being Wisconsin’s tackle of the class. Now, Wisconsin will have to scramble to find two offensive linemen over the next few weeks before National Signing Day, and the work there is already starting.
The Badgers initially were hoping to take three offensive linemen in the 2026 class after landing Cochrane and Novak before the summer. Now, that dream seems unrealistic, and the Badgers will have to find a way to get two in the class with some potential late flips.
The transfer portal could be an option to fill out the remainder of the numbers, depending on how Wisconsin’s room looks after the season, but there’s some work to be done here during the stretch run.
With Novak’s de-commitment, Wisconsin is now down to 13 commits in its Class of 2026. The class ranks No. 67 in the nation, according to 247Sports.
