Wisconsin football reignited its momentum on the class of 2026 recruiting trail on Friday when it landed a commitment from three-star defensive back Zachary Taylor.

Notably, Taylor instantly becomes the Badgers‘ highest-ranked commit in the cycle, besting defensive lineman Djidjou Bah. His addition pushes the class to 12 total commitments. That group now ranks No. 35 nationally and No. 12 in the Big Ten — those marks up from No. 40 and No. 14, respectively.

Wisconsin began the June official visit season red-hot, landing commitments from five members of its May 30 visit weekend. That momentum quickly stalled, however, as the program went nine days from June 4 to 13 without a commitment. It saw several top targets commit elsewhere during that time, including four-star edge rusher McHale Blade to Michigan.

Still, many of Wisconsin’s top targets remain uncommitted as of June 14. The most notable are running back Amari Latimer, wide receiver Jayden Petit, offensive tackle Kamari Blair and athlete Jackson Ford, all of whom were on campus during the Badgers’ May 30 visit weekend. Commitments from those blue-chip prospects are paramount if Wisconsin is to deliver its third straight top-25 recruiting class.

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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin recruiting class ranking update Zachary Taylor commitment