The Wisconsin Badgers have had quite the last few weeks with their 2027 recruiting class, getting off to a strong start during official visits. The foundation of the class had been built in the months prior, as Wisconsin entered last week with 13 commits. Nine of those had been from within the state, as the Badgers took advantage of a strong in-state class and secured commitments from most of the top talent in Wisconsin.
But they still had a lot of work to do heading into official visits, and they’ve
done a great job so far, landing seven commitments over the past two weekends, while having a pretty high hit rate with their targets.
Last weekend, the Badgers landed commitments from four-star wide receiver Jai Jones and three-star linebacker Nathan Jones. Then, during the week, three-star cornerback Royalton Allen and four-star cornerback Mekhi Williams both committed to the Badgers, securing two top targets at a huge position.
This weekend, Wisconsin secured three more commitments. Top wideout target and three-star recruit Steele Harris announced his commitment after a visit. Three-star defensive lineman Yahzeen Zion chose Wisconsin over several SEC powers. And three-star edge rusher Darin Graham officially announced his commitment after visiting Wisconsin last weekend.
Now, the Badgers are at 20 commits in the class, which ranks No. 13 overall nationally. Who’s still on the board for them? Let’s look at all the official visitors who didn’t commit to Wisconsin.
Three-star WR Tavares Powell
Wisconsin hosted Powell for a visit during the first weekend of official visits. How the wide receiver board played out was always going to be interesting for the Badgers, with top target Steele Harris coming to campus the second weekend, and newer target Chuck Alexander either coming to campus for the second or third weekend (ended up being second).
Powell headed to Kansas this weekend, and he committed there. He was the lone player of the six targets that did not commit to Wisconsin from the first weekend.
Three-star S James Roberson
Safety is a very intriguing position for the Badgers in this class because they can be choosy. Wisconsin already has commitments from Dustin Roach and DJ Davis, but is looking for a third safety in the class.
The first target, James Roberson, came to campus this weekend. Other contenders here include TCU, Mississippi State, and UCF. We’ll see how many more visits he takes after this weekend.
Some news that could tilt things in Wisconsin’s favor? Top safety target Cooper Ohnmacht committed to Kansas State on Sunday before his official visit to Madison next weekend. In addition, fellow safety target Caleb Cooper committed to Penn State on Monday.
Three-star EDGE Brody Pfannenstiel
The Badgers had been looking for another edge or two in the class, and hit paydirt this weekend when Yahzeen Zion and Darin Graham committed to Wisconsin.
Graham had been a top target and was on campus last weekend, while Zion committed after his visit this weekend. That puts Pfannenstiel in an interesting position with Wisconsin, as the spot for another edge rusher might not be there.
The three-star is a Texas Tech commit, though, and is heading to Lubbock this upcoming weekend, so we should get more clarity on his recruitment soon.
Four-star OL Alijah Shaw
Wisconsin already has four offensive linemen in its 2027 class, and they’re pushing for four-star Alijah Shaw to be the fifth.
The 6’8, 275-pound lineman is the No. 2 player in the state of Kansas, and had his second visit this weekend at Wisconsin after a visit to Arkansas last weekend. We’ll see if Shaw decides to commit soon, with no other reported visits on the docket, but the Badgers would have a huge offensive line class if he joins the program.
The Badgers already have commitments from four-star Cole Reiter, four-star Hunter Mallinger, three-star Reece Mallinger, and three-star Ethan McIntosh.
Four-star WR Charles “Chuck” Alexander
The Louisville commit was a more recent target for the Badgers at wide receiver, but Wisconsin did a good job getting him to campus for an official visit.
Alexander visited Louisville during the first weekend, and it seems like those two schools are at the top for him. If he joins the class, Wisconsin would have a three-receiver class with Alexander, Steele Harris, and Jai Jones, which would be quite the haul for Ari Confesor.
