Wisconsin Recruitment Overview: Class of 2026
January 7, 2026
By: Nick DiBenedetto
Area Scout & Content
As we turn the page heading into the 2026 winter season, we look back at the members of the class of 2026 who made their college commitments. In Wisconsin, 215 players have announced their commitments to schools.
While many players have already intended to play at the next level, there remain many uncommitted players from the 2026 class still on the board.
| I |
33 |
27 |
| II |
20 |
21 |
| III |
96 |
122 |
| NJCAA |
61 |
107 |
| NAIA |
5 |
13 |
+ Full 2026 commitment list
WISCONSIN'S TOP 25
Of the class's top 25 ranked players, 23 have made their commitments to Division 1 programs. Three players are staying home at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Ian Kawczynski, Mason Schmidt, and Tanner Effertz) while six are headed south of the state line to play in Illinois (Chance Ruby; Illinois-Chicago, Ezra Liggon; Bradley, Cameron Carter; Illinois-Chicago, Caleb Liggon; Bradley Vincent Bitter; Illinois State, Jimmy Angle; Eastern Illinois). Four are headed to the SEC (Dominic Santarelli; LSU, Jace Mataczynski; Auburn, Colton Semmelmann; South Carolina, Jack Brenner; Oklahoma). Two are headed to the Big Ten (Trey Kerkhoff; Purdue, Maddux Lessard; Minnesota). South Dakota State was a winner, signing two (Liam Hagland and Callen Tomsyck). Three are headed to the warm weather state of Florida (Tyson Grulkowski; South Florida, Ben Kuglitsch; Florida State, Calvin Moreau; Central Florida). The sole JUCO commit, Winston Alonso, is headed to Madison JC. Montgomery O'Brien and Matthew O'Grady Jr. are headed to Notre Dame and Army, respectively.
NCAA DIVISION I
| 1 |
Wisconsin-Milwaukee |
7 |
| 2 |
Bradley |
3 |
| ^ |
South Dakota State |
3 |
| 4 |
St. Thomas |
2 |
| ^ |
Illinois-Chicago |
2 |
NCAA DIVISION II
| 1 |
Wisconsin-Parkside |
6 |
| 2 |
Winona State |
4 |
| 3 |
Concordia-St. Paul |
2 |
| ^ |
Upper Iowa |
2 |
| ^ |
Maryville University |
2 |
| ^ |
Minnesota State University-Mankato |
2 |
NCAA DIVISION III
| 1 |
Wisconsin-Stevens Point |
17 |
| 2 |
Wisconsin-La Crosse |
10 |
| 3 |
Wisconsin-Stout |
8 |
| ^ |
Wisconsin-Oshkosh |
8 |
| 5 |
Wisconsin-Whitewater |
7 |
NJCAA
| 1 |
Bryant & Stratton - Wisconsin |
11 |
| 2 |
Rock Valley JC |
9 |
| 3 |
Madison JC |
8 |
| 4 |
Western Technical JC |
6 |
| 5 |
McHenry County JC |
5 |
| 6 |
Highland CC (IL) |
4 |
NAIA
| 1 |
Judson University |
1 |
| ^ |
Viterbo University |
1 |
| ^ |
Arizona Christian University |
1 |
WHERE ARE THEY GOING?
This is the interesting part -- especially to young players and parents keeping an eye on the commitment cycle. Too often, people are led to believe they need to travel extensively to be seen by schools around the country. Ultimately, the vast majority of Wisconsin players wind up staying in-state and the trend continues for the class of 2026.
| 1 |
Wisconsin |
126 |
| 2 |
Illinois |
32 |
| 3 |
Minnesota |
23 |
| 4 |
Iowa |
10 |
| 5 |
Florida |
4 |
| 6 |
South Dakota |
3 |
| ^ |
Indiana |
3 |
In all, 59% of players from Wisconsin's class of 2026 made their commitments to schools right here in the Badger State.
HIGH SCHOOLS
Which high schools are sending their players to the next level?
| 1 |
Muskego |
11 |
| 2 |
Arrowhead |
7 |
| 3 |
New Berlin Eisenhower |
5 |
| ^ |
Appleton North |
5 |
| ^ |
Brookfield East |
5 |
UPCOMING WISCONSIN EVENTS
| Kenosha Preseason ID |
01/31/2026 |
Puma Baseball Academy - Kenosha, WI |
| Wausau Preseason ID |
02/21/2026 |
Greenheck Turner Community Center - Weston, WI |
| West Milwaukee Preseason ID |
02/21/2026 |
STiKs Academy - Waukesha, WI |
| Green Bay Preseason ID |
03/01/2026 |
Impact Sports Academy - De Pere, WI |
| South Milwaukee Preseason ID |
03/08/2026 |
Hitters Baseball - Caledonia, WI |
| Eau Claire Preseason ID |
03/14/2026 |
Valley Sports Academy - Lake Hallie, WI |
| Madison Rising Stars ID |
03/14/2026 |
GRB Academy - Windsor, WI |
| Madison Preseason ID |
03/15/2026 |
GRB Academy - Windsor, WI |
| Milwaukee Preseason ID |
03/21/2026 |
Mosh Performance Center - Franklin, WI |
| Central WIsconsin Preseason ID |
03/22/2026 |
Crystal Training Institute - Mosinee, WI |
| South Milwaukee Rising Stars ID |
04/22/2026 |
Hitters Baseball - Caledonia, WI |
| Milwaukee Rising Stars ID |
04/29/2026 |
Mosh Performance Center - Franklin, WI |
| West Milwaukee Rising Stars ID |
05/06/2026 |
STiKs Academy - Waukesha, WI |
| Green Bay Rising Stars ID |
05/13/2026 |
Impact Sports Academy - De Pere, WI |
