2026 Early Signing Period: Staying up-to-date with who's signed with Wisconsin football
Keep track of who's signed with the Badgers during one of the busiest recruiting days of the year.
The future members of the University of Wisconsin football program make it official Wednesday.
The actual 2026 National Signing Day is Feb. 4, but its early signing period begins Wednesday and runs through Friday. These early signing periods in December, since their inception in 2017 for the 2018 class, have become the time where the vast majority of players officially sign with the schools they’ll play for. With the advent and evolution of the transfer portal, this has become an even more crucial spot for recruits to secure a spot with a program.
Wisconsin’s 2026 class has been volatile with additions and attritions this fall, especially since November with notable decommitments and flips to other programs. That’s not to say the Badgers haven’t continued to fight for recruits (and also hold on to its commits) and flipped recruits themselves as the early signing period has drawn closer.
Follow along with Badger Observer to see who’s signed with coach Luke Fickell and Wisconsin throughout Wednesday, if there are any significant updates, potential surprises, analysis and more.
Fickell, director of recruiting Pat Lambert and director of player personnel Ethan Russo are expected to speak with reporters mid-afternoon Wednesday.
Most recent news will be placed at the top of the section below.
Badger Observer’s 2026 Early Signing Period Extravaganza
Wisconsin flips one more 2026 recruit
It appears the Badgers will have 13 scholarship players for its 2026 freshman class, as the program announced Thursday the signing of former Houston safety commit Kah’ni Watts.
Watts is a consensus three-star recruit who most recently played for Rosharon Iowa Colony High School in Texas. He’s recorded 73 tackles, six tackles for loss, four interceptions and six passes defended as a senior, according to MaxPreps.
Safety’s been a major position that Wisconsin struck out on in the recruiting trail until Thursday. The Badgers hosted a few targets on official visits ranging from the late spring to the fall before finally landing Watts.
Barring any unforeseen changes, the signing of Watts should wrap up this 2026 early signing period for Wisconsin.
Luke Fickell full news conference
Wisconsin loses its 4-star running back
The Amari Latimer saga is over, and he will not make it to Madison. Latimer announced his flip to West Virginia, as seen via On3, late Wednesday afternoon.
It’s a substantial blow to Wisconsin’s 2026 class, which now sits at the 12 recruits that were previously announced, though the Badgers still have one running back in three-star recruit Qwantavius Wiggins.
Who’s anticipated to enroll early in January for Wisconsin football
Ten of Wisconsin’s 12 scholarship signees are anticipated to arrive in Madison in January as midyear enrollees. The two that currently slated to come during the summer include cornerback Donovan Dunmore and Wiggins.
We are live at Wisconsin football’s facilities for Luke Fickell’s early signing period news conference
It’s set for 2 p.m. CT. Wisconsin director of recruiting Pat Lambert and director of player personnel Ethan Russo both are expected to chat with reporters after Fickell.
As a reminder, staff cannot discuss players who have not signed with the program. That means you shouldn’t directly be hearing about four-star running back Amari Latimer, who announced his verbal commitment to Wisconsin in June.
Unless he signs in the next 15 minutes or while Fickell and staff are speaking.
The Badgers have their 4-star quarterback locked in
Wisconsin announced the signing of Santa Ana Mater Dei signal caller Ryan Hopkins. Hopkins is a four-star recruit and No. 11 dual-threat quarterback in the nation by ESPN (and was by Rivals before its merger with On3 earlier this year).
He announced an offer from UCLA in mid-August, and had previously tweeted Power Four offers from the following schools: Arizona, California, Central Florida, Duke, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Hopkins has the combination of great arm to throw downfield while also keeping defenses honest with his running ability. He ran a 4.61 40-yard dash in March, according to a tweet by Elite 11. Athletic.net also credits him wth a 10.66 in the 100 meters from April.
Badger Observer saw Hopkins live against one of Florida’s premiere teams, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, in late August. Check out our evaluation of the dual-threat quarterback.
(Future) Badger Observer: 4-star QB Ryan Hopkins
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Ryan Hopkins helped secure a season-opening road win in his first start for the nation’s best high school football program.
Wisconsin’s lone tight end commit has signed
Tight end Jack Sievers announced his commitment to Wisconsin in June, and he signed Wednesday. He’s a four-star recruit by ESPN and previously announced offers from Oklahoma, Minnesota, Boise State and San Diego State.
Sievers said he “wasn’t necessarily blatantly turning coaches away” as he wanted to have some backup with the state of the program during the season, but he made it clear that he was still committed to the Badgers
Wisconsin’s win against Illinois was big for Sievers, as it was victory over another team ranked in the College Football Playoff rankings. Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes spoke extensively with Sievers during his summer official visit about his scheme and how the Badgers could utilize him.
“And just after getting to hear him and see what he told me on my visit actually was 100% true,” Sievers said. “After seeing that win against Illinois and seeing how he did it and used the tight ends, I really felt even more confident about my decision.”
Sievers’ speed is intriguing at the tight end spot, as according to Athletic.net, he ran a 11.08 100 meters in May.
Another fall flip signs with Wisconsin football
Donovan Dunmore (Clovis Buchanan, California) was committed to Oregon State, but that changed when he announced his flip to Wisconsin in October in late September.
The Badgers crave speed, and according to Athletic.net, Dunmore ran a 10.51 in the 100 meters in May of this year. He recorded 44 tackles, four tackles for loss, three interceptions and six passes defended as a senior, according to MaxPreps.
Where Wisconsin football’s 2026 class stands as of 9 a.m. Wednesday
Wisconsin has announced nine scholarship players as part of its 2026 class. Those that have not include three players out on the West Coast: cornerback Donovan Dunmore (Clovis Buchanan, California), quarterback Ryan Hopkins (Santa Ana Mater Dei, California) and tight end Jack Sievers (Everett Archbishop Murphy, Washington).
The Badgers also have not announced the signing of four-star running back commit Amari Latimer (Tyrone Sandy Creek, Georgia).
Wisconsin’s lone outside linebacker commit signs
Yahya Gaad initially committed to UCLA in late spring, but he reopened his recruiting process in September after the Bruins fired coach DeShaun Foster. Wisconsin eventually reeled him in thereafter, as he announced his decision to become a Badger in October.
Gaad’s a consensus three-star recruit who’s evaluated as the No. 59 edge rusher in the 2026 class by ESPN.
Why this 2026 Wisconsin football recruit shut down his recruiting process
It’s been a rough stretch of days for the University of Wisconsin football program on the recruiting trail, but Arthur Scott and a few other commits have taken to social media in reaffirming their commitment to the Badgers.
Wisconsin’s lone in-state scholarship commit has signed
Badgers announced that Appleton North’s Ben Wenzel has signed. Watched him in September, and he has a lot of traits that the staff want at that linebacker position as seen in our evaluation below. He tallied 99 tackles, five tackles for loss and one sack as a senior, according to Bound Wisconsin.
(Future) Badger Observer: LB Ben Wenzel
FOND DU LAC, Wis. — Ben Wenzel showed why the University of Wisconsin football program coveted another in-state linebacker for the third consecutive recruiting cycle.
Defensive lineman Djidjou Bah signed
Bah, who played for Germantown High School in Tennessee, is one of two projected defensive linemen alongside fellow three-star recruit Arthur Scott in this 2026 class. He announced last month that he shut down his recruitment.
Wide receiver Zion Legree signed
Legree, from Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee in Florida, was a four-star recruit at one point by at least one outlet. He’s a consensus three-star receiver as of Wednesday.
Legree’s caught 42 passes for 627 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns this season, according to MaxPreps.
The Badgers’ lone scholarship offensive lineman in this class has signed
Brady Bekkenhuis, a four-star recruit by On3 who plays for Arlington High School in Massachusetts, flipped from homestate Boston College to Wisconsin late last month.
Something to watch regarding Wisconsin’s four-star running back commit
The Badgers received the commitment of Amari Latimer (Tyrone Sandy Creek, Georgia) earlier this year, and he visited Madison again when the Badgers hosted Illinois a couple weeks ago.
But Latimer’s also reportedly had other programs pursuing him throughout the fall. There were predictions from On3 at one point this season for Latimer to flip to No. 1 Ohio State, and according to recent articles from that outlet, Miami and Tennessee were also trying to sway the consensus four-star recruit.
Now it appears West Virginia may be a team to watch today, as On3’s Steve Wiltfong has put in an early prediction for Latimer to land with the Mountaineers. There is a connection, as cornerback Geimere Latimer II — Latimer’s older brother — played for West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez at Jacksonville State before transferring to Wisconsin last offseason.
Catching up with who’s signed
It’s 7:03 a.m. CT, so here’s who has signed thus far for the Badgers:
Defensive lineman Arthur Scott III (Streetsboro, Ohio)
Cornerback Carsen Eloms (Fishers, Indiana)
Running back Qwantavius Wiggins (Fairburn Langston Hughes, Georgia)
Wide receiver Keeyshawn Tabuteau (Chattanooga McCallie, Tennessee)
