Greg Gard is putting together something Wisconsin fans haven’t seen from him before: a recruiting class that’s climbing into rare territory.
With football soaking up the spotlight, the Badgers’ 2027 basketball group has quietly moved all the way to No. 3 in the 24/7 Sports rankings. That’s not a small jump, and it comes with three blue-chip commitments that give this class real weight.
Jalen Brown is the name that started it all. The 4-star guard from Wauwatosa West in Milwaukee is ranked No. 14 among complete guards by 24/7 Sports, and landing him was a major win for Gard.
For a stretch, there were plenty of Wisconsin fans questioning whether Gard could still recruit high school talent at a high level, especially in-state prospects. Brown’s commitment answered a lot of that noise.
Then came Baboucarr Ann, Minnesota’s top-ranked player and a long-term target for Gard. The 4-star small forward, listed at 6-foot-5 and 180 pounds, followed Brown to Madison and pushed the class even higher.
The final piece may have been Jack Thelan. He committed before Ann, but his rise has been one of the biggest reasons this group has gone from promising to special.
Thelan was unranked when Gard first scouted him, offered him, and brought him into the class. 24/7 Sports quickly moved him up to a 3-star recruit, and after the summer he put together - as a 7-footer playing alongside Ann - his stock climbed again to 4-star status.
That gives Wisconsin three real 4-stars in one class, including the Nos. 1 and 2 players in Minnesota. If National Signing Day were today and all three signed with the Badgers, this would be the highest-ranked recruiting class Wisconsin has ever had in the ranking era.
It’s not just a strong class for Gard. It would be Wisconsin’s best-ranked class ever, period.
The recognition isn’t limited to 24/7 Sports, either. Rivals/On3 has the Badgers at No. 8 nationally, with Wisconsin sitting behind Iowa State and Purdue in the 24/7 Sports rankings for now. On3 has not elevated Thelan the way 24/7 Sports has.
Even with that difference, the takeaway is the same: this is a loaded class. Brown, Ann and Thelan give Wisconsin a group that plenty of fans seem to be overlooking, but it’s hard to miss what Gard has built here.
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