Wisconsin Football Secures Edge Rusher Commitment After Spring Visit

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kedrick Stumbris | Last updated Apr 7, 2025 9:01 PM ET

Madison, WI — Head coach Luke Fickell grew the Wisconsin football 2026 recruiting class on Sunday evening. Apparently, a prospect liked what he saw during a recent visit to Madison.

Coming off a disappointing 5-7 campaign, the first losing season for the Wisconsin Badgers since 2001, Fickell is in the midst of a complete program rebuild. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo is out, and Jeff Grimes is in. Every scholarship quarterback on last year's roster? Gone.

With spring practice still unfolding, the Badgers are chipping away at the upcoming recruiting class. While the offense installed a new system on the field, the defense locked up a prized recruit.

Wisconsin Football Recruiting: Carmelow Reed Commits to Badgers

Fresh off his visit to spring practice, the #Badgers land three-star OLB Carmelow Reed out of Illinois. https://t.co/3vijWUOkei
— Kedrick Stumbris (@KedrickStumbris) April 8, 2025

Carmelow Reed took to social media on Sunday evening to announce his commitment to the Badgers. "Let's work!!" Reed captioned his announcement graphic. He visited Wisconsin during spring practice over the weekend.

Defensive line coach EJ Whitlow and outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell convinced Reed to pick Wisconsin over several offers from SEC football programs. The edge defender also held offers from the LSU Tigers, Missouri Tigers, Mississippi State Bulldogs, and Ole Miss Rebels.

The consensus three-star recruit will help defensive coordinator Mike Tressel increase the size of his defensive front. At 6-foot-7, 250-pounds, Reed would be the tallest member of UW's current outside linebacker corps. Only redshirt senior Darryl Peterson is carrying more weight.

Reed, an Illinois native out of Rich Central High School, is the third commitment in the Wisconsin football 2026 recruiting class. He joins wide receiver Tayshon Bardo and offensive lineman Benjamin Novak. The Badgers class currently ranks 54th nationally in the 247Sports composite and 15th in the Big Ten. The only programs behind UW in the conference rankings are the Indiana Hoosiers, Northwestern Wildcats, and Purdue Boilermakers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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