Wisconsin football lands commitment from class of 2026 in-state linebacker
BREAKING: Class of 2026 LB Ben Wenzel has Committed to Wisconsin, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6'3 220 LB from Appleton, WI chose the Badgers over Michigan State & Oklahoma
'I am staying home. Roll Badgers!'https://t.co/cVHlwgx23s pic.twitter.com/o8JW4rnzaY — Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 1, 2025
Wisconsin football landed a commitment from class of 2026 linebacker Ben Wenzel on Sunday.
Wenzel announced his commitment during his official visit to the program. He chose the Badgers over one other top contender: the Oklahoma Sooners.
247Sports lists the Appleton, Wisconsin, native as a three-star recruit, ranked specifically as the No. 1,251 player in the class of 2026, the No. 109 linebacker and the No. 5 recruit from his home state. He is the Badgers' highest-ranked in-state recruit in the class, with 247Sports' No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 players in the state committed to Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa and North Dakota State, respectively.
Wisconsin was late to offer Wenzel, waiting until May 20 to do so. The program's pursuit then picked up quickly. It has now added the linebacker's commitment before his scheduled visit to Oklahoma (June 20).
Wenzel is Wisconsin's ninth commitment in the class. He was the program's second addition to the group on Sunday, following three-star defensive lineman Arthur Scott. Both players committed before the conclusion of their official visits. The Badgers' class now ranks No. 39 nationally and No. 13 in the Big Ten after those two additions. Luke Fickell and his staff are still looking for their first blue-chip commit.
Wisconsin is building momentum off its first official visit weekend of the month, arguably the most important three-day period of the recruiting cycle. Fickell and company hope that momentum aids the program's chances with its top targets in the class, including four-star recruits LB McHale Blade, WR Jayden Petit, RB Amari Latimer, OT Kamari Blair and athlete Jackson Ford.
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