The offseason is upon Wisconsin athletics, but the recruiting season is just now picking up for the 2026 class. Today, Mason Marden, a top linebacker recruit for Wisconsin, has announced his final five, and it's going to be a race against some premier programs. Marden has listed Oklahoma, Michigan State, Arizona State, Kansas, and Wisconsin as his final five programs. One of those teams will be getting the services of a fast-rising linebacker out of St. Louis, Missouri.
3-star Mason Marden will pick between Oklahoma, Arizona State, Kansas, Michigan State, and Wisconsin
Mason Marden is listed as the 10th-best player in the state of Missouri and is projected as a linebacker in college. However, he also plays what he calls hybrid/tight end at the high school level. This means he carries the ball as a tailback but also blocks. According to his bio on 24/7 Sports, as a junior, he "had 170 total tackles (20 for loss), three sacks, two interceptions and four forced fumbles. Also carried the ball 15 times for 294 yards and four touchdowns."
Marden had over 21 offers before he cut his list to these final 5, and now he will begin working on visiting each school. He's projected to come to Wisconsin the weekend of June 13. He just got off his visit with Arizona State and has already set up visits to the other three schools in between. As of now, Wisconsin is receiving the last visit.
Having the last visit is often good news as the program can make the strongest offer and leave the most recent impression. There's hope among the coaching staff that Marden will be in Madison in 2026 and helping the Badgers on a trajectory toward success in the Big Ten. It will be interesting to see how Marden finishes out his recruitment and when he plans to make his final decision. He posted that a commitment date is coming soon.