Tag: Class of 2026

Wisconsin football offers class of 2026 quarterback and defensive lineman

Wisconsin football offers class of 2026 quarterback and defensive lineman

Wisconsin football recently extended offers to class of 2026 quarterback Ryan Hopkins and defensive lineman Josiah Hope.

Hopkins, a 6-foot-3 prospect from JSerra Catholic High School in California, received his offer from UW on Oct. 11. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo appears to have led the recruiting effort, per 247Sports.

The outlet considers Hopkins the No. 57-ranked quarterback and No. 87 overall recruit from the class of 2026. The Michigan State Spartans also offered the pass-thrower back on Sept. 4.

Through five high school games in 2024, Hopkins has thrown for 681 yards and eight passing touchdowns. He has also accumulated 391 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns as a junior.

Defensive lineman Josiah hope, meanwhile, received his Wisconsin offer on Oct. 14. Despite being unranked at this stage of the recruiting process, Hope already holds offers from Auburn, Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky and Louisville.

At 6-foot-2, 275 pounds, Hope attends North Hardin High School in Radcliff, Kentucky. The interest from his suitors as a junior suggests Hope will garner a collection of offers throughout the remainder of the season.

UW has received two commitments from the class of 2026 thus far: three-star quarterback Jarin Mock and three-star iOL Benjamin Novak.

UNC basketball program chasing a top guard in 2026 recruiting class

Deron Rippey Jr. is a Class of 2026 basketball recruit to keep your eye on. Why should UNC send an offer his way?

The North Carolina Tar Heels are going to have a guard-heavy basketball team this year.

Reigning ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis returns to lead the deep guard group. Joining Davis will be sophomore Elliot Cadeau, defensive stalwart Seth Trimble and 5-star freshman Ian Jackson. If you look at UNC’s official roster, there’s nine players with guard eligibility.

With North Carolina expected to depart most of its guard core after the coming season, it needs to start preparing for the following two college basketball season.

That preparation includes the Tar Heels looking at Class of 2026 5-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr., the 247Sports Composite’s 21st-ranked player nationally, 4th-ranked point guard and top-ranked New Jersey recruit.

Check out Phenom Hoops’ extensive write-up on Rippey, who is also getting looks from – amongst others – Washington, Rutgers, Texas A&M and Michigan.

“When talking about his game, Rippey is one that immediately grabs your attention,” Phenom Hoops’ Patrick O’Brien wrote. “The 6’2 point guard knows how to run the show and do so effectively, displaying an excellent feel, court awareness, and playmaking with the ball in his hands. Rippey is so shifty yet strong on the court, to go along with impressive athleticism as a guard. He creates well with the ball in his hands, and excels in transition, but also shows poise within the halfcourt offense. Rippey thrived as a scorer on several occasions, finishing strong through and around defenders, getting paint touches consistently, but also doing a great job in being a 3-level scorer.  Rippey is someone you simply want to have the ball in his hands, and he will make things happen no matter what is needed.  And though he is already regarded as a top guard in his class, he backed that up on the national stage and showed why he is one of the elite guards in the country no matter what class.”

If UNC decides to offer Rippey, he’d be the program’s eighth Class of 2026 offer. North Carolina has yet to offer a 2026 point guard, so why not make a player of Rippey’s caliber its first?

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Wisconsin receives crystal ball to land class of 2026 interior offensive lineman

Wisconsin receives crystal ball to land class of 2026 interior offensive lineman

Wisconsin football received two crystal ball predictions to land class of 2026 interior offensive lineman Benjamin Novak on Friday.

The predictions come from 247Sports Wisconsin insiders Evan Flood and Nick Osen. For context, Osen boasts a 98.63% accuracy rate for 2025 predictions while Flood holds a 71.44% clip for this calendar year’s cohort.

At 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, Novak represents Andrean High School in Merrillville, Indiana. 247Sports ranks the junior as the nation’s No. 48 iOL and No. 11 recruit from Indiana for 2026.

Novak currently holds 10 offers at this stage in the process, Outside of UW, the list includes Bowling Green, Ball State, Toledo, Louisville, Indiana, Akron, Marshall, Kentucky and Western Michigan.

While 247Sports’ forecasts project Novak to land in Madison, On3’s recruiting prediction machine says otherwise. The outlet predicts Novak will commit to Ball State with over a 30.8% likelihood.

Wisconsin has offered nine other interior offensive linemen for its class of 2026, including top 100 recruit Leo Delaney. Its class of 2025 is currently ranked No. 18 in the nation with 22 overall commitments, per Rivals.

Class of 2026 football recruit extremely thankful for UNC offer

Class of 2026 in-state linebacker Caleb Gordon was extremely thankful for UNC offering him. Will Gordon actually come to Chapel Hill?

The North Carolina Tar Heels are extremely busy on the football recruiting trail, as they are still making offers to Class of 2025, 2026 and 2027 recruits.

UNC already has 14 Class of 2025 commitments, led by in-state quarterback Bryce Baker, who will likely compete with Conner Harrell for the starting role next fall. North Carolina has three Class of 2026 commitments, highlighted by top-10 in-state player Zavion Griffin-Haynes, but none in the Class of 2027.

The Tar Heels are hoping for yet another commitment from their recent offer to Caleb Gordon, a Class of 2026 linebacker who plays at Ashbrook High School in Gastonia, NC.

Gordon was extremely thankful that North Carolina offered him. Just check out what he told TarHeelIllustrated’s Lee Wardlaw in a recent interview:

“It was a burden lifted off of my chest because I went to camp there this off-season, and it didn’t go too well,” Gordon saidBut I worked hard during the season to prove myself, and it all worked out, so I’m just giving all of my glory to the man above. The Tar Heels stand strongly in my recruitment.”

Gordon has two more seasons in high school, but if he’s already praising UNC like this, look for UNC head coach Mack Brown to continue pursuing Gordon.

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Wisconsin makes the top 10 for four-star class of 2026 cornerback

Wisconsin makes the top 10 for four-star class of 2026 cornerback

Wisconsin top class of 2026 cornerback target Victor Singleton included the Badgers in his final batch of schools on Friday.

Luke Fickell’s program was listed alongside Missouri, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio State, Kentucky, Penn State, Oregon, Nebraska and Texas A&M.

Over 20 college programs have extended an offer to Singleton thus far, per 247Sports. Those include Pittsburgh, Mississippi State, Louisville, Illinois, Iowa and Cincinnati.

247Sports considers the 6-foot, 160-pound cornerback the No. 45 overall recruit, No. 4 cornerback and No. 2 recruit from Ohio for the class of 2026. If Wisconsin were able to land the dynamic playmaker, he would emerge as one of Fickell’s most impressive recruiting victories for the class of 2026.

Wisconsin extended its offer to Singleton on Mar. 11, 2024, roughly two months before Singleton’s offers began to balloon. He represents Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio, and is considered a four-star by On3, ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals.

Both 247Sports and On3 project the top cornerback to land at Ohio State. On3’s recruiting prediction machine has the Buckeyes with a 94.9% chance to secure his commitment. 247Sports Ohio State insider Bill Kurelic made a crystal ball prediction in July favoring the Buckeyes as well.

Still, Wisconsin’s inclusion is more than notable. It will now compete with some of the most prestigious programs in the country to land one of the nation’s most promising players.

Top UNC football recruiting target announces transfer

UNC’s top target in its 2026 football recruiting class is transferring back to play football in his hometown.

While the North Carolina Tar Heels are currently focused on continuing their undefeated season on Saturday against James Madison, they’re also focused on bringing in top-quality recruits to fill out their future rosters.

UNC already has 14 commits in the Class of 2025, headlined by in-state quarterback Bryce Baker. North Carolina also has three Class of 2026 commitments, but is hoping to land a few more.

One of the Tar Heels’ greatest priorities is Reidsville, NC-based Kendre Harrison, the imposing 6’7″, 245-lbs. tight end who is the nation’s top-ranked player at his position.

Harrison is also quite the basketball player, helping lead Reidsville to the 2A state basketball championship last year.

Harrison, who previously transferred to Providence Day in Charlotte, announced he was returning to Reidsville on Monday afternoon.

This is a somewhat unusual transfer, considering that it came a few weeks into high school football season. Harrison caught 13 passes for 153 yards for Providence Day in three games already this season, plus he added eight tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

https://twitter.com/MaxPreps/status/1835737471466033163

Harrison is expected to be an immediate boost to a Reidsville squad that is already 4-0 – and looking to win a second-consecutive 2A state championship. Harrison enjoyed a breakout season last year for the Rams, exploding with 940 receiving yards and catch 16 touchdowns.

Harrison is down to UNC and Tennessee as his finalists. Hopefully, he picks the school just over an hour from his hometown.

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Wisconsin makes the top 10 schools for a class of 2026 wide receiver

Wisconsin makes the top 10 schools for a class of 2026 wide receiver

Class of 2026 wide receiver Rico Blassingame included Wisconsin in his list of top 10 schools on Sunday.

Alongside UW, Kansas, Indiana, Washington, Texas A&M, Iowa State, Arizona, Minnesota, Colorado State and Louisville cracked the junior’s final group of potential landing spots.

Wisconsin extended its offer to the three-star recruit on May 21, a few weeks out from the Badgers’ major summer recruiting windows for its class of 2025 cohort.

247Sports currently ranks the 6-foot-3, 180-pound wide receiver as the No. 552 overall recruit, No. 91 receiver and No. 5 prospect from Arizona in the class of 2026. While the outlet has yet to release a crystal ball prediction, On3’s recruiting prediction machine lists Washington as his most probable landing spot at 37.3%.

Blassingame totaled 60 catches for 593 yards and a touchdown in 10 appearances as a sophomore at Tolleson Union High School in Arizona. he also plays for the varsity basketball and track and field teams.

UW has landed one class of 2026 commitment thus far: three-star quarterback Jarin Mock.

Wisconsin football extends offer to highly-touted class of 2026 defensive lineman

Wisconsin football extends offer to highly-touted class of 2026 defensive lineman

The Wisconsin Badgers extended an offer to promising class of 2026 defensive end Hunter Higgins on Monday.

Higgins is the latest defensive lineman representative of the class of 2026 to receive an offer from Wisconsin. He, alongside three-stars Trashawn Ruffin, Tyson Bacon and Damari Simeon, will now evaluate their collegiate futures with the Badgers on their offer sheets.

Higgins, currently a junior at Maize South High School in Wichita, Kansas, boasts offers from nearly 20 schools thus far. The most notable include Ole Miss, USC, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.

On3, 247Sports and Rivals have the 6’5,” 240-pound edge defender as a three-star recruit as of Sept. 10. On3 ranks him as the No. 344 overall recruit, No. 35 defensive lineman and No. 4 recruit from Kansas for the class of 2026.

247Sports has yet to release a crystal ball prediction for where Higgins will end up. On3’s recruiting prediction machine, meanwhile, gives the Kansas State Wildcats the highest probability to secure a commitment from the Kansas product at 28.6%. Oklahoma (25.1%), Nebraska (21.5%) and Kansas (6.4%) follow.

Three-star quarterback Jarrin Mock is the only player from the class of 2026 committed to Luke Fickell’s program ahead of the team’s Week 3 contest against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Wisconsin football offers top-25 linebacker in class of 2026

Wisconsin football offers top-25 linebacker in class of 2026

The Wisconsin Badgers extended an offer to top-ranked class of 2026 linebacker T.J White on Monday.

White joins three-star defensive linemen Hinter Higgins, Trashawn Ruffin, Tyson Bacon and Damari Simeon as class of 2026 playmakers to recently receive an offer from Luke Fickell and company at this stage of the recruiting cycle.

While 247Sports and ESPN consider White a three-star recruit, both On3 and  Rivals have assigned a four-star designation to the 6’3,” 200-pound junior.

An attendant of Jackson Academy High School in Jackson, Mississippi, White already holds a healthy list of offers from college programs throughout the nation, including from Ole Miss, Auburn, Jackson State, Baylor, Mississippi State, Toledo, Akron, Arkansas State and Louisiana Tech.

247Sports’ composite ranking pegs White as the No. 243 overall recruit, No. 23 linebacker and No. 9 prospect from the state of Missouri for the class of 2026.

Unlike his contemporaries in the recruiting realm, On3’s recruiting prediction machine has signaled out a heavy favorite at this point in White’s recruiting journey: Ole Miss.

The Rebels hold a 43.8% to land White. Considering his in-state roots, the projection adds up on the surface. Nonetheless, Wisconsin’s early bid points to some parity in his collegiate scholarship pool

Three-star quarterback Jarrin Mock remains the sole commit for the class of 2026 to offer his pledge to Fickell’s program through August 2024. That number will gradually increase as the staff zeroes in on the next batch of college prospects.

Wisconsin football extends offer to top class of 2026 defensive lineman

Wisconsin football extends offer to top class of 2026 defensive lineman

The Wisconsin Badgers extended an offer to top class of 2026 defensive end Trashawn Ruffin on Monday.

Ruffin becomes the third defensive line weapon from the class of 2026 to earn an offer from UW, joining three-star prospects Tyson Bacon and Damari Simeon.

Like his contemporaries, Ruffin already holds a laundry list of collegiate offers as a junior in high school. Those include NC State, Charlotte, South Carolina, Florida State, Georgia, USC, Florida, Virginia Tech, Liberty, West Virginia, Old Dominion, Texas A&M, Texas and Wisconsin, per On3.

On3, 247Sports and Rivals currently consider the 6’3,” 307-pound lineman as a three-star recruit at this stage of the recruiting process. On3 ranks him as the No. 272 overall recruit, No. 22 defensive lineman and No. 17 recruit from North Carolina for the class of 2026.

https://twitter.com/TrashawnRuffin/status/1830805113243365702

247Sports has yet to release a crystal ball prediction for where Ruffin will land. On3’s recruiting prediction machine, however, awards the NC State Wolfpack the highest probability to secure a commitment from the North Carolina native at 10.5%.

While three-star quarterback Jarrin Mock is the only player from the class of 2026 to commit to UW thus far, Fickell and company appear to be gradually shifting their focus to the upcoming cycle.