Wisconsin top class of 2026 target Ben Nichols will announce his collegiate commitment on Dec. 24, per his latest post on X.
On Nov. 11, Nichols listed Wisconsin, Tennessee, Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Kentucky and Iowa as his final nine landing spots.
On Dec. 6, the four-star recruit whittled the list down to just Wisconsin, Tennessee, Notre Dame and Penn State, per 247Sports national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu.
The outlet’s composite ranking considers Nichols the No. 244 overall recruit in the class of 2025, No. 16 interior offensive lineman and No. 3 prospect from his home state of Michigan for the class of 2026.
While Wisconsin’s inclusion in Nichols’ final four landing spots is substantial, recruiting outlets project the Michigan native to land with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. On3’s recruiting prediction machine lists the college football juggernaut as his most likely landing spot at 82%, and Rivals’ Penn State analyst Richard O’Leary recently released a FutureCast projecting the Fighting Irish to secure his commitment.
I will be committing on December 24th‼️ @DavCardFootball @LBC4L @GregSmithRivals @adamgorney @BrandonHuffman @ChadSimmons_ @SWiltfong_ @AllenTrieu @TheD_Zone @josh_newberg @@ShannonTerry @MohrRecruiting
— Ben Nichols C/O 2026 (@BNichols2026) December 6, 2024
UW’s current iOL room took a hit on Thursday with the loss of James Durand to the transfer portal. Both Joe Huber and Jake Renfro competed as redshirt seniors, so Wisconsin is certainly in need of some depth at the position.
Yes, Nichols is a 2026 recruit, but his talent is unquestionable. As a junior in high school, his 6-foot-5, 315-pound frame makes him one of the more alluring 2026 talents in the nation.