With Wisconsin's 2025 recruiting class now in the books, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at UW's hot spots on the recruiting front and examines the top targets in a handful of states across the country from the 2026 class.
Today, we continue with Texas, a state Wisconsin has recently been more active in.
RELATED: STATE BY STATE: ILLINOIS | STATE BY STATE: OHIO | STATE BY STATE: MICHIGAN |
Number of Texas athletes on the current roster (including the 2025 high school and portal class): 2
Number of known offers extended in Texas in 2026 class: 31
Hotspot: DeSoto High School
Notable past recruits from Texas: Michael Turner, Jay Valai, Devin Smith, Shelton Johnson, Marcus Cromartie, Chris Orr, Caesar Williams, Travian Blaylock and Avyonne Jones, A.J. Tisdell, Mabrey Mettauer and Xavier Ukponu, among others.
TOP FIVE (REALISTIC) PRIORITIES IN TEXAS
The trip from Texas to Wisconsin this fall was well worth it for Jake Johnson. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive tackle from Prospect High School earned an offer from the Badgers during his visit for UW's night contest against Penn State.
"My weekend started by flying into Chicago, then we picked up our rental car and began the drive to Madison," Johnson told BadgerBlitz.com. "The drive up was very scenic - at first you would drive through some city then you would break through to the country and it was nothing but fields, farms and ponds.
"The drive overall was beautiful. As we approached Madison and started to come back to the city area, we started seeing the college town and it was beautiful. The old rustic feeling of the shops and houses was amazing, so we kept driving around to tour the town and visit some shops. My overall experience in Madison was amazing."
Johnson will return to Madison later this month for a junior-day visit.
