Wisconsin Basketball's '27 Recruiting Class Suffers Serious Blow as Four-Star Decommits

The Badgers were on their way to assembling one of their best basketball recruiting classes of all time in 2027.

With two four-star backcourt players in Jalen Brown and Baboucarr Ann, plus another blue-chip in 7-foot-1 big man Jack Thelen, Wisconsin was feasibly in the process of constructing one of the best high school recruiting hauls in the country and a massive boost to their roster.

Wisconsin is now down to two players in the class, as ESPN's Jeff Borzello reported Wednesday evening that Thelen has de-committed from the Badgers.

Thelen exploded onto the national scene shortly after he committed to Wisconsin, earning his fourth star over the summer. Thelen is currently a consensus four-star prospect. 247Sports has him as the No. 120 player in the country and the No. 15 center, while On3/Rivals slots him in at No. 101 in the country and the No. 12 center.

Thelen, who attends the same high school as his now former recruiting classmate Ann, Maple Grove in Minnesota, committed to the Badgers on June 13. His pledge was seen as something of a precursor for Ann's commitment, and indeed, his teammate committed to Wisconsin just 12 days later.

Instant impact for the Badgers

Thelen was seen as a developmental big man, not the kind of player who could come in and contribute immediately like both Brown and Ann appear to have the potential to do.

What's more, big men in general usually take more time to be ready to contribute in the physical, vicious front courts of the Big Ten. Thus, Thelen wasn't expected to come in and immediately occupy a big role at center for the Badgers immediately upon stepping on campus ahead of the 2027-28 season.

Still, Wisconsin now needs to find another big man to compliment its two dynamic guards in the 2027 class. Luckily for the Badgers, there's no shortage of options in this day and age, especially with how heavily Wisconsin has leaned into overseas recruiting.

The Badgers also already have a developmental big man on the roster in freshman Isaac Riddle from Australia. He's something of a sleeping giant — though he's not expected to contribute this season, his skillset is intriguing and he has the potential to be an excellent modern big man once he's marinated in Greg Gard's system. Thelen's de-commitment could place more onus on Riddle to develop into a viable option in the frontcourt quicker.