Wisconsin Football Loses Top In-State Recruit to Rival Gophers

His commitment to the Gophers is becoming a bit of a concerning trend. Last cycle, the Badgers landed five in-state players, but the top three, who were all 4-star recruits, went to other schools. Granted, the top two went to Notre Dame and the third went to Tennessee, all powerhouse schools that Wisconsin would have a hard time keeping up with. 

According to the 247Sports ratings, Meier is a 3-star prospect. He currently has offers from multiple Power 5 schools, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Auburn, Indiana, and Northwestern. He also has a handful of offers from Group of Five schools like Northern Illinois, Washington State, among others. 

Right now, the Badgers have just two commitments in their 2026 recruiting cycle. Interior offensive lineman Benjamin Novak (3-star) committed in October, and wide receiver Tayshon Bardo (3-star), who committed just a couple of weeks ago. 

This staff has shown the ability to recruit, as they have put together top-30 classes in each of the past two seasons. There's no reason to believe they won't put together another solid class in 2026, but losing in-state recruits to rivals is never helpful.