Badgers in the mix for 4-star 2026 OL Bear McWhorter after unofficial visit

McWhorter has included Wisconsin in his top nine schools.

Oct 5, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Less than a week after taking an unofficial visit to Wisconsin, 2026 four-star offensive lineman Bear McWhorter has released his top nine schools — and it includes the Badgers.

top 9. #keepworking pic.twitter.com/bfutOBpejR

— ʙᴇᴀʀ ᴍᴄᴡʜᴏʀᴛᴇʀ (@BearMcWhorter) October 29, 2024

Listed at 6-foot-3, 290 pounds, McWhorter was verbally committed to Arkansas before reopening his recruitment at the end of June. He has been pursued heavily by some of the top programs in the country and his top nine schools include Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Hailing from Cass High School and Cartersville, Georgia, ESPN is the highest on McWhorter as a prospect. They rank him as a four-star prospect and the 196th-ranked recruit in the class of 2026.

Wisconsin currently has two players committed to its 2026 recruiting class and landing a commitment from a player of McWhorter's caliber could give them plenty of momentum heading into the busy period of that cycle this spring.