2 in-state Wisconsin football targets recap Saturday's 'great experience' vs. Washington
Badger Observer caught up with four-star recruits Cole Reiter and Korz Loken about their trips to Madison, and the decision to go shirtless
It’s no surprise seeing shirtless fans battling the elements inside Camp Randall Stadium during a University of Wisconsin football home game in November.
What is surprising is when you find out that it was actually recruits who were among those shirtless faithful seen last weekend.
Wisconsin and then-No. 24 Washington dueled while the rain and eventual snow consumed Madison on Saturday. The Badgers staff welcomed numerous recruits to town that included a few 2026 players but also some key 2027 targets from within the state. They experienced a 13-10 upset, the first win for Wisconsin over a ranked opponent since 2021, and a cathartic field storming after breaking a six-game losing streak.
But even before the clock struck zero, 2026 offensive line commit Ben Novak and three 2027 in-state players — offensive linemen Cole Reiter and Ethan McIntosh, and tight end Korz Loken — were among several kids shirtless and cheering in a section of the stands while a one-possession contest raged in front of them.
Reiter and Loken, both uncommitted recruits in the 2027 class with significant Power Four offers, said their escapades started sometime during the fourth quarter.
“It was kind of almost a group idea,” Reiter said. “So there was a group of dudes behind us doing it. So the game was getting really intense. We were going crazy. And then, we could see Logan Powell, Hardy Watts, some of the (Wisconsin) linemen cheering us on, telling us to get hyped.
“So me and Ben Novak kind of look at each other, and … we’re like, ‘Dude, should we do that?’ And we kind of start taking our sweatshirts off and stuff. … And me, Korz and Ben all come to the consensus. We’re like, ‘You know what? Let’s do this.’ Then we do it. And then all the dudes I brought with me ended up doing it. And then a bunch of dudes from kind of the section above us came down and were doing it. It was a cool experience.”