Badgers' 2025 basketball recruiting class ranks among nation's best (for now)

The Badgers are off to a strong start on the 2025 recruiting trail.
Feb 13, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA;  Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard looks on during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Kohl Center.
Feb 13, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard looks on during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Kohl Center. / Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports
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At the moment, the Wisconsin Badgers' 2025 men's basketball recruiting class ranks among the nation's best. The Badgers are sixth on the list and tops in the Big Ten — though it's worth noting that the rankings are going to change quite a bit over the next year.

The Badgers have two in-state commitments in their 2025 class: four-star shooting guard Zach Kinziger (De Pere) and three-star center Will Garlock (Middleton). Kinziger is the No. 127 player in the nation in his class, per 247 Sports, and Garlock is No. 161.

Again, all this means is that Greg Gard and the Badgers are off to a strong start on the 2025 recruiting trail. In that class, only two of the nation's top 25 players and eight of the top 50 are currently committed. Over time, the blue bloods will dominate the list of the country's top recruiting classes.

Wisconsin's 2024 class, which features a pair of three-star Minnesota players in Daniel Freitag and Jack Robison, ranked 64th in the nation. The Badgers were 34th in 2023.

Wisconsin is coming off a 22-win season and a first-round loss as a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Gone are AJ Storr (Kansas), Connor Essegian (Nebraska), Chucky Hepburn (Louisville), and Tyler Wahl (graduation), but key players like Steven Crowl, Max Klesmit, Kamari McGee, and John Blackwell are back. Gard also brought in a trio of talented transfers in Xavier Amos (Northern Illinois), Camren Hunter (Central Arkansas) and John Tonje (Missouri).


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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.