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Wisconsin Badgers football coach Luke Fickell is doing everything he can to get off the hot seat.
Fans have been calling for his firing for quite some time now, and the door seems wide open now that UW is looking for a new athletic director.
That said, Fickell has put together a tremendous class of 2027. His incoming class of recruits for the 2026 season may not be groundbreaking, but what he's building with this next class is incredible.
After securing his 13th commitment from former Iowa State linebacker Keaton Wollan, Fickell now has nine incoming Wisconsin natives. Not only is that number extremely impressive, but it's something that hasn't been done since 2011.
There are a few Wisconsin natives Fickell has missed on, but it sure doesn't feel that way. One would have to go back to 2011 when Bret Bielema brought in 10 in-state recruits. Now, that number seems achievable, especially with how red-hot Fickell and his squad have been.
With a ton of recruits left out there, finishing in the top 15 would be an extremely lofty goal. At one point, the top 10 was within reach, but now it feels much more realistic to round out this set of recruits with a top 25 class in the nation. Even that is shooting for the stars, but no one can take anything away from what Fickell has done thus far.
According to 247Sports, 2024 was the last time Wisconsin had a top-25 class. That said, they were ranked No. 26 in 2025, which is still extremely impressive. The last time they cracked the top 20 was in 2021 (No. 16).
When it comes to the top 10 players in Wisconsin, the Badgers landed commitments from eight of them. There's still time for these players to look elsewhere, but currently, the only two who aren't coming to Madison are Green Bay's Flanigan and Pewaukee's Reikowski.
Flanigan is a 6-foot-3 defensive lineman who chose Notre Dame, while Reikowski is a 6-foot-7 interior offensive lineman who's heading to Northwestern.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Takeaways from Luke Fickell's top 15 class of 2027 for Wisconsin
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Fans have been calling for his firing for quite some time now, and the door seems wide open now that UW is looking for a new athletic director.
That said, Fickell has put together a tremendous class of 2027. His incoming class of recruits for the 2026 season may not be groundbreaking, but what he's building with this next class is incredible.
After securing his 13th commitment from former Iowa State linebacker Keaton Wollan, Fickell now has nine incoming Wisconsin natives. Not only is that number extremely impressive, but it's something that hasn't been done since 2011.
Most in-state recruits since 2011
There are a few Wisconsin natives Fickell has missed on, but it sure doesn't feel that way. One would have to go back to 2011 when Bret Bielema brought in 10 in-state recruits. Now, that number seems achievable, especially with how red-hot Fickell and his squad have been.
Wisconsin eyes another Top 25 class
With a ton of recruits left out there, finishing in the top 15 would be an extremely lofty goal. At one point, the top 10 was within reach, but now it feels much more realistic to round out this set of recruits with a top 25 class in the nation. Even that is shooting for the stars, but no one can take anything away from what Fickell has done thus far.
According to 247Sports, 2024 was the last time Wisconsin had a top-25 class. That said, they were ranked No. 26 in 2025, which is still extremely impressive. The last time they cracked the top 20 was in 2021 (No. 16).
Only notable misses: Richie Flanigan and Cade Reikowski
When it comes to the top 10 players in Wisconsin, the Badgers landed commitments from eight of them. There's still time for these players to look elsewhere, but currently, the only two who aren't coming to Madison are Green Bay's Flanigan and Pewaukee's Reikowski.
Flanigan is a 6-foot-3 defensive lineman who chose Notre Dame, while Reikowski is a 6-foot-7 interior offensive lineman who's heading to Northwestern.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Takeaways from Luke Fickell's top 15 class of 2027 for Wisconsin
Continue reading...
