The Wisconsin Badgers picked up their third commitment in the 2027 class, and it followed the same trend as their first two: an in-state recruit. Catholic Memorial safety Dustin Roach announced his commitment to the program last week, marking the third commit for the Badgers from the state of Wisconsin in the cycle already.
Roach, who stands 6’3, 185 pounds, was offered by the Badgers in November last year and had three offers so far: Wisconsin, Eastern Michigan, and Northern Illinois. He did see interest from Iowa, going on a gameday visit there, as well as Minnesota.
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Over the past few years, the Badgers haven’t recruited many players from the state of Wisconsin in certain classes, finding recruits they perceived as better elsewhere. They took just one player from Wisconsin in their class of 2026 (linebacker Ben Wenzel) and two in the class of 2024 (linebacker Landon Gauthier and tight end Rob Booker).
But in a very talented 2025 class, Wisconsin was heavily involved, landing five recruits from the state (linebacker Cooper Catalano, offensive lineman Michael Roeske, tight end Emmett Bork, safety Grant Dean, and defensive lineman Torin Pettaway). They were also involved with four-star tight end James Flanigan (No. 1 player in Wisconsin), four-star offensive lineman Owen Strebig (No. 2 player in Wisconsin), and four-star cornerback Tre Poteat (No. 3 player in Wisconsin), and offered a couple of other players.
This 2027 class has the potential to be one of the state’s best in recent years, and the Badgers are pushing hard. They got a commitment from four-star tight end Korz Loken, who is considered a top-five tight end in the country and the No. 1 player in the state. They’re firmly in the mix for four-star offensive lineman Cole Reiter, who is seen as a top-200 recruit nationally and the No. 2 player in the state, according to 247Sports.
They’re also very involved with three-star running back Kingston Allen (No. 4 player in Wisconsin), three-star edge rusher Isaac Miller (No. 5 player in Wisconsin), offensive lineman Hunter Mallinger (No. 6 player in Wisconsin), and his brother Reece Mallinger (No. 8 player in Wisconsin).
Of course, there’s still a long way to go in the current cycle, but this could be a heavy in-state class for the Badgers, which just added another one to the mix with Dustin Roach.
