Any talk that Wisconsin’s 2027 basketball recruiting class is fading feels pretty exaggerated.
The Badgers have put together something fans in Madison haven’t seen much of in recent memory: a real run at high-end talent. So far, Wisconsin has landed three well-regarded 2027 commits in guard Jalen Brown, forward Baboucarr Ann and center Jack Thelen.
Most recruiting services still treat all three like top-100 prospects in the class, with one notable exception. That’s where the disconnect starts to show, and it’s a reminder that rankings can sometimes lag behind players who aren’t getting the same exposure as prospects from bigger schools or the EYBL circuit.
That kind of gap is exactly how a player like Keaton Wagler can slip through the cracks, largely because he didn’t play at a prep school or on a shoe circuit. Wisconsin seems to be running into a similar issue now, only this time it’s affecting its own class.
ESPN’s latest update to the 2027 rankings included only one Wisconsin commit: Brown, who came in at No. 96. Even that slot looks a little light when you compare it with the other major recruiting sites, which generally have him in the mid-to-late 60s.
Ann and Thelen were left out entirely, which is a little easier to understand on paper. Ann had a somewhat underwhelming summer, while Thelen is still seen as a more raw prospect with plenty to clean up. Even so, both remain inside the top 100 on other services, so leaving all three Badger commits off the same level of recognition from one outlet does raise eyebrows.
Thelen did get a boost recently, too, with Nick Osen noting that Wisconsin’s 2027 center commit was bumped to a four-star and that UW now has three top-120 commits in the class. Osen also wrote that the Badgers are currently ranked third in the nation.
Still, the bigger point is simple: these rankings won’t decide anything once the players arrive in Madison. Brown, Ann and Thelen could be slotted anywhere from elite national prospects to outside the top 100, and all of that gets wiped clean the first time they hit the practice floor.
For Wisconsin, though, the bigger picture is what matters. Fans and evaluators alike see this as a class with the chance to change the conversation around the program and maybe address some of the issues Greg Gard has run into in March.
Whether it becomes something special or just a class full of promise is still ahead. For now, Wisconsin has every reason to feel good about where things stand.
In Other News...
Wisconsins Notre Dame Opener Just Got More Interesting For One Reason
The lead-up to Wisconsins opener against No. 4 Notre Dame has taken on a different look on both sides of the ball, with the Badgers dealing with questions up front and the Irish sorting through a couple of notable injury issues of their own. For Wisconsin, the focus has been on the availability of starting offensive linemen Emerson Mandell and Kevin Heywood, a concern that only adds to the challenge of protecting the quarterback in a matchup that already looked steep on paper.
Notre Dames latest injury report makes the matchup even more worth watching, especially with linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa listed as questionable and wide receiver Quincy Porter ruled out for Week 1. Porters absence matters because he was expected to be part of the starting receiving group, while Viliamu-Asas status could affect the Irish defenses depth as the game approaches. For the Badgers, any edge in a season opener like this can matter, and the health updates on both sidelines could shape how the first major test of the year unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Eight Former Badgers Just Earned A New Reason For Fans To Watch
The 2026 NFL Draft came and went without a Wisconsin selection, but the Badgers still found a way into the league conversation. Several undrafted former Wisconsin players signed free agent deals, got into preseason action and kept themselves in the mix long enough to survive the first wave of roster cuts, which is no small accomplishment in a league where the margins are razor thin.
Now eight former Badgers have a new home on practice squads around the NFL, with landing spots spread across teams like the Rams, Dolphins, Eagles, Falcons, Saints, Giants, Panthers and 49ers. For Wisconsin fans, it is a familiar kind of late-summer scoreboard to follow: not draft night headlines, but the slower, quieter progress of players hanging on, earning another chance and giving the Badgers a reason to keep an eye on Sundays a little differently. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Just Made The Notre Dame Lineup Much Harder To Read
Wisconsins weekly game notes used to offer one of the cleaner snapshots of where the roster stood, but that is no longer the case this season. The athletic department has stopped releasing depth charts, a decision made by the sports information directors rather than the coaching staff, leaving a little more guesswork for anyone trying to read the Badgers before kickoff.
Luke Fickell has already hinted that some spots are still unsettled, including backup quarterback, and injuries to key players have only added to the uncertainty. Wisconsin will still provide injury reports during conference play, but it is not required to do so in non-conference games, which makes the buildup to matchups like Notre Dame a bit harder to sort through from the outside. [Read more 🡒]