Luke Fickell finds himself again as the runner-up for 2026 DL recruit

The Wisconsin Badgers made the final two for a former UCLA commit along the defensive line. After Anthony Jones took visits to Oregon and Wisconsin, he eliminated all the other schools and decided he would choose between the two. He ultimately chose to go with Dan Lanning over Luke Fickell in a recruitment that went down to the wire.

While it doesn't leave Fickell high and dry, it's a frustrating miss as he would have certainly had a clearer path to a starting spot over the next few years at Wisconsin than at Oregon.

3-star Anthony Jones committed to the Oregon Ducks over the Wisconsin Badgers

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Jones, a high school recruit from Irvine, California, was originally committed to UCLA and the former coaching staff. However, when things fell apart down in Los Angeles, he reopened his recruitment. He actually re-committed to the Bruins before deciding he wasn't a fit with the new coaching staff. That's when Fickell and Lanning jumped in to see if they could grab him.

For Fickell, he's always looking for new defensive line talent, whether that's in the portal or in the recruiting class. He has a specific type he likes too; he wants 300+ pound defensive tackles and athletic ends. Jones is nearly there at 284 pounds, and with a college weight program, it wouldn't be hard to see him there.

While it's lame to lose him, especially to another program in the conference, the Badgers already have a couple of studs on the defensive line coming in the 2026 cycle. 3-star Djidjou Bah out of Germantown, Tennessee, and 3-star Arthur Scott from Streetsboro, Ohio.

Fickell also added four in the transfer portal to immediately help the roster this season. Jones would have been a great addition, but the Badgers can move on just fine. Jones may end up buried on the Oregon depth chart, but Lanning talked him into coming to Eugene anyway.