Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck is shown with his team before their game at Camp Randall Stadium Friday, November 29, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Wisconsin Badgers 2026 EDGE target commits to rival Minnesota before scheduled official visit to Madison

Originally posted on Wisconsin Badgers on SI
By Lorin Cox | Last updated Jun 1, 2025 3:30 PM ET

The Wisconsin Badgers were set to make their big pitch to 2026 three-star edge rusher recruit Anthony Charles on his official visit in a few weeks.

P.J. Fleck and the Minnesota Golden Gophers beat Luke Fickell to the punch.

Charles took his official visit to Minnesota this weekend, and he announced his commitment to the school on Sunday.

Thank you to all the coaches that I’ve been blessed to learn from during this recruiting process. The genuine love and support you’ve shown throughout this recruiting process is something I’ll be forever grateful to have experienced.

After an amazing official visit, I am fully… pic.twitter.com/AWwomoJkS6
— Anthony Charles 3⭐️Edge Rusher (@ACharles00) June 1, 2025

Charles was scheduled to take his official visit to Madison the weekend of June 13. He had other visits scheduled for Cincinnati (June 6) and Penn State (June 20), but committed to Minnesota ahead of all of them.

He took an unofficial visit to Wisconsin in March and had tweeted multiple times about continued contact with outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell.

Thank you @Coach_Mitch_ @CoachFick @BadgerFootball for inviting my family and I out! We learned a lot! Looking forward to the official visit . Appreciate the hospitality you showed me and my family @RoseBrandon_ ‼️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/n0KrMPSumi
— Anthony Charles 3⭐️Edge Rusher (@ACharles00) March 23, 2025

At 6-foot-5, he could have provided some nice length to the Badgers' 2026 class that already landed another big body in Carmelow Reed.

Wisconsin will have to look elsewhere to load up the trenches or hope that they can still get him into town and convince him to flip on their schedule official visit.