Wisconsin Badgers positional recruit snapshot: 2026 tight ends

With Wisconsin's 2025 recruiting class near capacity, BadgerBlitz.com will be bringing you snapshots in the following cycle for each recruited position, covering the targets who are legitimate prospects on Wisconsin's board in the 2026 class. We will discuss the candidates who are most interested in the Badgers, as well as those who are considered long shots to commit to UW.

As always, this is just a snapshot in time and things remain fluid. Additional offered targets will appear over the next few months and some recruits will inevitably choose other colleges.

Today, we continue with a look at the tight ends.

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Wisconsin's tight ends room still feels like it's a year away from being high-end contributors in Phil Longo's offense. Veteran Riley Nowakowski is expected to be valuable again this year, with youngsters Tucker Ashcraft, Jackson McGowan and JT Seagreaves behind him. The staff is also high 2024 signees Robert Booker and Grant Stec, both of whom took part in spring camp.

In the 2025 class, Wisconsin landed a commitment in June from three-star Nizyi Davis. He is expected to be the only tight end the Badgers take in this cycle. With that, there is a good chance UW looks for two in 2026, and close to 20 offers have already been extended at the position.

Wisconsin is in a great spot early on with Gavin Mueller, one of the hottest prospects in the Midwest. The Badgers offered during a camp stop in June. UW may look to take two tight ends in 2026.

"I actually grew up a Wisconsin fan because my uncle (Nick Mueller) played there in 1999 and 2000, so it's awesome," Mueller said. "I want to get out there as much as possible with all my family. The next step is getting to their grill out on July 27, and I would love to get to as many games as possible this fall.

"Wisconsin is definitely high up on my list. Like I said, my uncle went there and I also have my dad’s whole side of the family in the area of Madison, so that alone puts them high. Also growing up a fan helps a ton. I definitely want to learn more and get there often to see if it would be a good fit for me."

Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Marshall, Minnesota, Florida and Purdue, among others, have also offered.