- Wisconsin football will host 2026 in-state linebacker Ben Wenzel for an official visit from May 29 to June 1.
- Wenzel, who holds offers from several programs including Kansas and Oklahoma, is considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.
- The Badgers are looking to improve their in-state recruiting under head coach Luke Fickell.
- While Wenzel is not currently ranked among the top recruits in the state, his potential commitment would be a positive step for Wisconsin.
Wisconsin football has locked in an official visit with class of 2026 in-state linebacker Ben Wenzel. As the Appleton, Wisconsin, native shared on X, he will visit the program from May 29 to June 1.
Wenzel joins an official visit weekend that will also see Wisconsin host top targets T.J. White, Jayden Petit, Evan Goodwin, Jackson Ford, Amari Latimer, Nick Reddish, Zachary Washington and others. The three-day weekend will kick off a critical month of June for Luke Fickell’s program as it looks to replicate its recent top 25 finishes in the 2024 and 2025 recruiting cycles.
247Sports has yet to assign a ranking to Wenzel, while Rivals lists him as a three-star recruit. Notable programs on his offer sheet include Kansas, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Western Michigan and Oklahoma. Kansas appears to be a top contender for his commitment, as it is the only other program with an official visit scheduled.
Wisconsin is still working to reestablish its in-state recruiting footprint under Fickell. It landed just one of the state’s top five players in 2024 (No. 4 OL Derek Jensen) and two in 2025 (No. 4 OL Michael Roeske and No. 5 athlete Grant Dean). So far in the 2026 cycle, three of the state’s top five players are committed elsewhere — No. 1 OT Gavin Meier to Minnesota, No. 3 iOL Sam Simpson to Indiana and No. 4 WR Brody Schaffer to Iowa. None of the three is a blue-chip prospect. However, that snapshot represents a larger trend under the program’s new leadership.
Wenzel is far from the state’s top five at this stage of the recruiting cycle. His potential commitment would still mark a step forward for the Badgers’ in-state recruiting efforts.
