Wisconsin football loses top class of 2026 target to a familiar Big Ten rival
Wisconsin football top class of 2026 target, defensive lineman King Liggins, committed to play for Bret Bielema and Illinois on Wednesday.
Liggins chose the Fighting Illini over the Badgers, who were his only other finalist.
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247Sports lists the Chicago, Illinois, native as a three-star recruit, ranked specifically as the No. 910 player in the class of 2026, the No. 92 defensive lineman and the No. 21 recruit from his home state. The service lists a busy official visit schedule, with completed trips to Iowa on April 4, Illinois on April 11 and Wisconsin on April 23, plus upcoming trips to Purdue on May 23, Rutgers on June 6 and Virginia on June 12. Of course, that schedule may now change after his pledge to the Illini.
Liggins joins an Illinois class of 2026 that sat No. 12 nationally before his commitment. That ranking is sure to rise once his addition is accounted for.
Wisconsin's class of 2026, meanwhile, is down at No. 43 nationally with seven players committed. The class is far below Illinois' at this stage of the recruiting cycle, though much can still change with the official visit season set to heat up at the end of the month.
In a vacuum, Wisconsin saw one of its high-priority targets commit to a Big Ten rival. Not only that, but he chose a neighboring program that is currently led by one of the program's former coaches.
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That program, Illinois, is projected to continue its historic run in 2025. The team returns most of its production from a 2024 group that finished a program-best 10-3, plus it is set to face the easiest schedule in the conference. Bielema has done well in capitalizing on that on-field momentum on the recruiting trail.
Wisconsin, on the other hand, is looking for a bounce-back campaign after a disappointing 5-7 finish to the 2024 season. It is also still in search of much-needed momentum on the class of 2026 recruiting trail.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin football recruiting target King Liggins commits to Illinois
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