Wisconsin’s biggest NIL-spending sports are loading up in 2027. As of July 2026, Badger men’s basketball sits at No. 2 on the 247Sports 2027 recruiting class rankings, and football sits at No. 26 on their list.
Basketball
Greg Gard and company have been working for the future. With a lackluster class from 2026 even with transfers, Gard looked toward 2027 and has found some players that he hopes will make an immediate impact.
So far, Wisconsin has landed three commitments, all being composite four-star recruits. The highest rated of the three is combo-guard Jalen Brown from Wauwatosa West High School. Brown is ranked 75th nationally and fourth in Wisconsin.
This past season, Brown averaged 20.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game, while netting nearly three steals a game and shooting 46% from the field. Brown picked Wisconsin over Nebraska, Arizona State and Iowa.
Baboucarr Ann, a 6-foot-5 small forward from Maple Grove High School in Minnesota, is ranked as the 82nd recruit according to 247Sports, and the No. 1 recruit out of Minnesota. Ann averaged 18.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 31 games for one of the better high school programs in Minnesota last season.
The third and final recruit is also from Maple Grove High School. Jack Thelen, a 7-foot-1, 235-lb. center is nationally ranked as the 107th recruit, and second in Minnesota. Thelen averaged 13.5 points and nine rebounds per game last season.
This recruiting class is shaping up to be one of the best we have seen in the Gard era for the Wisconsin program, and there is a very real shot for all of them to make an impact their freshman year, given the age of the current squad.
By then, senior forward Nolan Winter and transfer guard Eian Elmer, the projected starters, will have graduated, so there will be big holes to fill.
Despite the high ranking, it is important to note that 15 of the top 20 recruits in the entirety of the 2027 class have yet to make a commitment, meaning the ranking is subject to change many times before the 2027 season starts.
Football
The Luke Fickell era of Wisconsin football has been rocky, to say the least. But, the end of last season showed promise for the future of the team.
The big upside of this recruiting class from Fickell and company is different from any other season in his Wisconsin tenure. Wisconsin currently holds commitments from 10 of the top 12 recruits in Wisconsin, which has been a glaring weak point in Fickell’s tenure until now.
The 2027 recruiting class currently consists of 23 hard commits with seven composite four-stars.
The highest rated of the seven is Cole Reiter, a 6-foot-7, 315-lb. offensive tackle from Germantown High School. Reiter is the 189th ranked recruit nationally and the top recruit in Wisconsin.
Mekhi Williams, a safety out of Lennard High School in Florida is the second highest rated coming in at 211th nationally and 22nd in the state of Florida. Williams was heavily recruited though, getting offers from Florida State, Florida, Auburn and Colorado before ultimately committing to the Badgers.
The second ranked recruit in Wisconsin is Kingston Allen. Allen is a running back from Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay. Allen was a big pickup for the Badgers, having as impressive of a season as he did. Allen’s junior season consisted of 3,436 yards and 57 touchdowns, as well as 986 yards and 15 touchdowns in two playoff games.
Korz Loken was another big pickup for Fickell. Loken, the third ranked player in Wisconsin, had 17 total offers from FBS schools including Notre Dame, Illinois, Florida State and Auburn. Loken is a pass-catching tight end, netting 435 yards and nine touchdowns in his sophomore season before being sidelined for all of his junior season with an arm injury.
Coming in at the fifth highest rated recruit, wideout Jai Jones from Chandler High School in Arizona impressed his junior year. The 6-foot-2 pass catcher had 922 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jones is the sixth ranked recruit in the state of Arizona and chose Wisconsin over 24 other schools that offered, including Arizona, Arizona State, Indiana and Oregon.
Jack Sorgi is the only quarterback in the class as of now. Sorgi is the son of former Wisconsin quarterback Jim Sorgi, and has the athleticism to show for it. As a junior, Sorgi threw for 2,911 yards and 31 touchdowns with a 61.2% completion percentage.
Hunter Mallinger is the seventh and final composite four-star recruit. The Hamilton High School product is an interior-offensive lineman unit standing at 6-foot-6, 290-lbs. as a junior in high school. Hunter will be accompanied by his twin brother Reece Mallinger, another interior-offensive lineman.
Although there is always a chance Wisconsin football’s rank may change, it may not be as extreme as basketball could be. Contrary to the basketball world, the vast majority of the top football recruits have made commitments already.
It is clear that these two recruiting classes share the same motive — building for the future. While the teams that are currently in the building may not be the strongest they have been under their respective coaches, both recruiting classes certainly are.
