Wisconsin football received great news today when one of the best defensive edge players in the 2026 recruiting class, McHale Blade, narrowed his list to seven schools from his 25+ offers, and the Badgers were included. To make matters even more intriguing for the addition of Blade, he decided he would visit every one of those seven schools and make his final commitment on July 4.
McHale Blade plays high school football for Simeon High in Chicago, Illinois. He is listed at 6'4" and 245 lbs. He fits into an intentional effort by the Wisconsin coaching staff to get better along the defensive line. Bigger, faster, and stronger. If Wisconsin is going to chase down 4-star prospects, there is a good chance they are defensive linemen.
McHale Blade will commit to a school on July 4 and Wisconsin is one of the finalists
McHale Blade has narrowed his list to Notre Dame, Stanford, Michigan, USC, Purdue, Illinois, and Wisconsin. He will spend the next month walking those campuses and hearing the recruiting pitches from each school. According to Jake Kocorowski of OnSI.com, the Badgers are going to be getting one of the early visits. Kocorowski reports that he is coming next weekend, May 29.
He will join a flurry of visitors that weekend in a targeted effort to make a splash in early June in the 2026 recruiting class. Kocorowski reports, "The program expects to host other four-star talent the weekend of May 29-June 1. That includes edge rusher Jackson Samuels Ford, wide receiver Jayden Petit and offensive lineman Kamari Blair."
Wisconsin's defensive line coach, E.J. Whitlow, has already added one rusher to his squad for 2026, Carmelow Reed. The goal is to get a few more excellent young pass rushers to go along with Reed. Landing Blade would be a massive get for the Badgers and the 2026 recruiting class. It is a much-needed win after missing out on DL King Liggins from Illinois earlier this week.