One of Luke Fickell's favorite targets on the defensive line just narrowed his list to five, and the Badgers are on it. Yahzeen Zion has been a fast-riser in the football world with nearly 30 offers under his belt. Zion mostly had his life set on basketball before he turned out to be quite the defensive lineman at 6'4 and 265 pounds. Zion is setting up his visits, but has his list cut down.
Zion lists only Florida, Oklahoma, LSU, Miami, and Wisconsin, according to recruiting expert Brandon Huffman. The Badgers were one of the earliest on that list to give him an offer. While Zion may not ultimately choose to play for Wisconsin, for now, the hope is there, and Luke Fickell has to be smiling.
NEW: Goodyear (Ariz.) Desert Edge four-star DL Yahzeen Zion cuts list to five schools, eyeing summer decision.
— Brandon Huffman (@BrandonHuffman) May 11, 2026
From basketball court to top target at ACC, Big Ten and SEC schools in months — the Desert Edge star's recruitment is heating up
Read: https://t.co/VLlXp4xt61 pic.twitter.com/wrof4AMk5H
4-star Yahzeen Zion has named Wisconsin in his final 5
Related: Dan Lanning yanks a 4-star OT out of Wisconsin's hands before official visit season
Zion is still developing on the football field, but he has raw power and athleticism. He's a player who uses natural strength and explosive power to get off the line and get into the backfield. Zion is a player who has been turning heads lately, picking up recent offers from both the Florida Gators and the Miami Hurricanes. Each of those programs finally joined the Zion fan club last week.
Fickell has been on quite a roll lately, and even seeing this list of five should help Wisconsin fans realize things are different right now. The Badgers aren't usually in recruiting battles with Florida and Oklahoma, but Fickell is chasing down his guys, and the NIL is helping.
Zion is a player out of Arizona, but is picking from a group of five schools that are all over the map, from the Midwest to Florida. He's got an ACC school in there, three SEC schools, and, of course, Wisconsin representing the Big Ten.
Something recently changed in his recruitment, as the favorite originally was Mississippi State, and Zion even had a recruiting visit set up with the Bulldogs. On3 even had them as the predicted winner, but now they didn't even make the final five; instead, Wisconsin is now there and represents the dark horse in Zion's recruitment.
Add us as a preferred source on Google