Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball has found a bit of recruiting steam in recent years. After revamping its offensive approach to a more modern style, on top of churning out some NBA talent and making some necessary upgrades to the NIL fund, the Badgers have been able to be considered in the mix for some top talents – even landing a few in the class of 2027.
Wisconsin and Greg Gard are making it known that it won't be a one-class wonder either, as they have already flipped the recruiting focus to the class of 2028. The Badgers have made a public recruiting push for guard KJ Wilson following his impressive performance at their advanced camp, and have now scheduled a visit with top-40 prospect in the class Cole Kelly.
Source: Cole Kelly, the No. 34 overall prospect in the class of 2028, has scheduled unofficial visits to Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska, Indiana and Wisconsin.
— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) September 3, 2026
Story. https://t.co/6DmdOsOOUE pic.twitter.com/qgtNLwpL13
Kelly, a consensus four-star recruit, has already stacked up 16 offers, 13 of which being high-major. Wisconsin will have to compete with schools such as Ohio State, Purdue, Illinois, Nebraska and Missouri, each of whom seem to be in hot pursuit of the youngster.
If the Badgers were able to pull it off and land Kelly, he would likely become one of the highest recruits in school history, a notion that is well deserved given his advanced skill set. Kelly already has an incredibly polished and well-rounded offensive game, making him one of the more dynamic scoring threats in his recruiting class.
What Makes him Special
His combination of a quick release, positional size and shooting touch make him a lethal perimeter threat, which in turn opens up the rest of his game. Kelly has displayed the ability to attack closeouts, using footwork and even bits of a post-up game to win on the inside, further rounding out his scoring arsenal.
Fresh off Purdue offer, 2028 Cole Kelly and Neuqua Valley open June by winning Loyola Shootout and adding Ohio State offer! 6’6 SF offers include Illinois, Iowa, Mizzou, Nebraska. pic.twitter.com/ozOIDodv3H
— Scott/Ballislife (@BallisLifeCHI) June 5, 2026
There are some concerns surrounding his underdeveloped frame and lack of high-end movement ability, but he hasn't shown any flaws that seem insurmountable when it comes to how his game will translate up.
It is, of course, still very early in the cycle, and odds are Wisconsin will have to do a lot of work to land Kelly. Other schools will be able to offer more money, a deeper NBA pedigree and a more appealing surrounding cast – meaning there is plenty of work to do in regards to making up for lost ground.
Nonetheless, it will be an appealing story to track as time goes on, hopefully ending in yet another recruiting win for the Badgers.
Add us as a preferred source on Google