Wisconsin top class of 2026 target Ben Nichols announced his commitment to the University of Notre Dame on Tuesday.
On Dec. 6, shortly after his unofficial visit to Madison, the four-star recruit whittled his final list of collegiate landing spots down to Wisconsin, Tennessee, Notre Dame and Penn State.
The Fighting Irish, who are set to square off against No. 5 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, emerged as the front-runner after that point.
Since then, a bevy of recruiting analysts from both Rivals and 247Sports have crafted forecasts projecting Nichols to land in South Bend. All seven of the available predictions on the two recruiting outlets considered Notre Dame as Nichols’ clear-cut landing spot.
#AGTG 110% COMMITED!!🍀 #letsgoirish #commited pic.twitter.com/JUNzSLPHDw
— Ben Nichols C/O 2026 (@BNichols2026) December 24, 2024
Nonetheless, Wisconsin’s rich history in producing top-tier offensive linemen kept it in the mix. Whether it be Joe Thomas, Kevin Zeitler, Rob Havenstein, Ryan Ramczyk or Travis Frederick, UW knows how to produce NFL-ready players at the position.
As of Dec. 24, Wisconsin’s starting offensive line in 2025 projects to feature Riley Mahlman (right tackle), J.P. Benzschawel (right guard), Jake Renfro (center), Joe Brunner (left guard) and Kevin Heywood (left tackle). While Nichols’ collegiate future won’t begin until 2026, his talent suggests he could fit in immediately at almost any type of program.
247Sports’ composite ranking currently considers Nichols the No. 244 overall recruit in the class of 2026, No. 16 interior offensive lineman and No. 3 prospect from his home state of Michigan. Notre Dame will officially be adding another blue-chip recruit to an already stacked program.