Wisconsin football top class of 2026 target to announce commitment decision on Thursday
Wisconsin football top class of 2026 target to announce commitment decision on Thursday
Wisconsin football top class of 2026 target Tyler Merrill will announce his commitment decision later today, Thursday, Jan. 30.
The Badgers recently made Merrill's list of finalists, along with Penn State, Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame. He will reportedly announce his final decision at 2:20 p.m. ET, 1:20 p.m. CT on the On3 Recruits YouTube channel.
Related: Former Wisconsin cornerback files lawsuit against NCAA
247Sports lists the top-ranked interior offensive lineman as a four-star recruit. He currently sits as the 247Sports Composite's No. 61 overall player in the class of 2026, No. 5 interior offensive lineman and No. 2 recruit from his home state of Pennsylvania. On3 has a similar outlook -- it has Merrill listed as the No. 82 overall player in the class.
247Sports has yet to release any predictions for Merrill's landing spot. On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine, however, lists Notre Dame as the leader at 87.8%. The in-state Nittany Lions are next at 5%, with everyone else at or below 1%. Notably, longtime Wisconsin assistant Joe Rudolph currently coaches Notre Dame's offensive line.
Wisconsin will look to pull off a similar recruiting upset to when it successfully landed top class of 2025 lineman Hardy Watts over Michigan and Clemson.
The Badgers currently have just one player committed in the class of 2026: three-star interior offensive lineman Benjamin Novak. The program is looking to continue a recent string of recruiting success under third-year head coach Luke Fickell -- it finished the 2024 and 2025 cycles at No. 23 and No. 25, respectively.
Stay tuned later this afternoon as Merrill announces his collegiate destination.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
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