2027 Wisconsin commit and Iola, WI, native Korz Loken, the number four tight end in the country and best high school football player in Wisconsin, discussed his commitment to Wisconsin as the 2027 recruiting cycle has ramped up in intensity.
Loken excels in three different sports at Iola-Scandinavia High School.
He qualified for states in discus his sophomore year, averaged nearly 10 points and 10 rebounds a game his freshman and sophomore years in basketball — along with recently becoming the all time rebounds leader in school history — and racked up 500 yards, 9 touchdowns and 40 tackles in football his sophomore year.
Loken is a big believer in avoiding specialization in just football. Rather, he diversifies his ability as an athlete by training and honing his ability in all three sports.
“Being a three sport athlete is really important, especially in high school… I can get good footwork and jumping skills from basketball. I can get straight line speed from track, and then you kind of combine that when you’re going to play football.” Loken said. “Having those skill sets honed in, in multiple different areas, just makes you all that much better on the football field.”
Unfortunately, injuries prevented Loken from playing much of his junior season in football, as he only appeared in one game. Nonetheless, Loken appeared at the Navy All-American Bowl — a showcase for the top 100, or so, high school athletes in the nation, where he announced his commitment to Wisconsin.
Loken had, at a minimum, 15 confirmed power four offers — including programs like Notre Dame, Arkansas, Auburn, Illinois and the reigning national champions, the Indiana Hoosiers.
When asked why he chose Wisconsin, Loken made it clear that being a Wisconsin kid made a huge difference.
“Being a Badger means so much to me. I grew up watching them play. I know a ton of people who’ve gone to Madison, ton of people who’ve played for the Badgers… I love the Badgers and I love what they do.”
Loken has what he called a deep-rooted belief in the staff and the Badgers.
Also, Loken believes in the program and talent development at Wisconsin.
“I know that they’re going to do whatever they can do to get this program to be the best that it can be and I feel like they can develop me to an incredibly high level.”
Loken headlines one of the strongest recruiting classes the state of Wisconsin has had in a long time. The top 10 players in the Wisconsin class of 2027 all grade 85+ on a 100 point scale, with Loken topping the list at a 90. Loken and Cole Reiter both rank as top 200 players in the country.
The Wisconsin staff has placed a huge emphasis on recruiting this talent and keeping them in-state. Loken made it clear that he wants to play his part in recruiting this talent.
“We [Wisconsin high school class of 2027] have a really tight knit group. We’ve gone on a couple of visits together. I talk to all those guys all the time.” Loken said.
While injury may have stopped Loken from being on the field, it certainly didn’t stop him from becoming a better football player.
Since he couldn’t get quicker or stronger physically, he did it mentally. Not being on the field also served as fuel and motivation.
“Just the drive [to get better]. I’ve really been wanting to get back in the weight room, been wanting to get back on the field because I had that taken away from me. So I’m really gonna work my hardest this off season so that this next year is gonna be different.” Loken said. “I really just want to be the best that I can possibly be — and that might come in terms of having a ton of carries on offense, ton of catches on offense. Maybe it comes in terms of me blocking really well and opening up holes for our other players.”
Loken is joining a position group that Wisconsin has worked hard to rebuild. While the tight end room had struggled the past few years, Lance Mason, in 2025, had the best single-season statistics at the position since current Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson back in 2021.
Now, the tight end room has names like transfer Jacob Harris, high three star and redshirt freshman Emmett Bork, four star true freshman Jack Sievers, Grant Stec and plenty of other great talents.
“They [Wisconsin] have a great tight end room right now, and I know a lot of the guys in there, and they’re super hard workers, super talented players. I want to be joining them and having those veteran guys around me that can continuously help me grind, help me improve.”
Wisconsin has made it clear over the years that if a true freshman shows up ready to play, then they will play. Most recently, Badger fans saw this with the standout linebacking core of Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano, both of whom were recognized as top freshman of the Big Ten last season.
This chance to play was made clear to Loken when he talked with the coaching staff.
“They [the Wisconsin staff] want me to come in as ready to play as I possibly can be. If I really grind up until I come in during that second semester [January 2027], they said I can be an impact player on day one.” Loken said. “I really do appreciate all the confidence that they [the Wisconsin staff] put in me, and it kind of just makes me realize more how much work I need to be putting in, how much I got to be preparing to be able to play at that next level.”
Loken’s message for Badger fans ahead of his arrival?
“I really want to win some games, and I think part of that is gonna be getting this in-state recruiting class, part of that’s going to be getting some out of state dudes to follow them as well and from then on, you just start gelling, start getting our chemistry and get our nose to the grind so that once we get there [to Madison], we can really keep on pace with this program’s turnaround and get back to the top of the Big Ten”
