Wisconsin Badgers: Top potential transfer portal WR options following 4-8 season 2 Oct 18, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell during warmups prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Badgers’ staff maintaining close eye on massive 2027 Arkansas DL prospect

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics
By Jarrett Guerrera | Last updated Mar 28, 2026 4:18 PM ET

The Wisconsin Badgers have continued to pursue new additions along the defensive line in the 2027 recruiting cycle from across the country.

Valley View (AR) defensive lineman Eli Thornton has quietly become one of the top targets at the position for the Badgers’ staff. The talented defender holds offers from Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Illinois, and Vanderbilt among others. Wisconsin extended a scholarship to Thornton in January of 2026 and quickly made the recent cut for an Official Visit alongside Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and Arkansas.

Wisconsin has a chance to host the talented three-star defensive lineman for his Official Visit on May 29th before any other programs will do so. Thornton has taken the recruiting process seriously and already booked his commitment date for July 4th before touching down for any of his official visits.

The 6-foot-3, 315-pound defensive lineman is currently considered to be the 957th ranked recruit nationally in the 2027 class. Thornton is additionally the 106th defensive lineman in the class and the third-ranked recruit overall in the state of Arkansas.

For the Badgers, establishing dominance across the defensive line requires the right men for the job. Thornton fits the new prototype the staff has begun to look for as the Badgers prefer to add bigger, agile defensive linemen. Three seasons ago Wisconsin did not have a room dominated by bigger players but the current roster now boasts seven defensive linemen above 300 pounds.

The 2027 cycle has been a fruitful one for Wisconsin thus far with notable commitments from in-state four-stars Korz Loken and Cole Reiter. One of the most impressive aspects of the success of the Badgers’ staff is the fact that the staff has done incredible work with players who wanted to lock-in commitments before the upcoming season. Loken announced his commitment to Wisconsin just after the conclusion of the collegiate season and noted that he wanted to finalize his future before the start of his senior season.

Thornton currently aims to announce his commitment in the middle of the off-season and backing down from his scheduled announcement date seems unlikely. The Badgers will need to continue to keep a close eye on Thornton as other programs will look to aggressively push the closer the recruit inches towards his commitment date.

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

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