MADISON – The latest members of Wisconsin’s 2027 football recruiting class come as a package deal.
Twins Hunter and Reece Mallinger, offensive linemen from Susex Hamilton High School, announced their commitment to the Badgers on Wednesday, April 1. The pair are the sixth and seventh members of the Badgers’ class.
The Mallingers announced their decision on social media after making countless recruiting visits and trips together. They received scholarship offers from many of the same programs, though those offers sometimes came at different times.
In the case of Wisconsin, Hunter received his offer last June. Reece got his in January.
“I don’t know if it was like super public knowledge, but being behind the scenes, we kind of knew all along they wanted to go to the same place together,” Hamilton coach Justin Gumm said.
The Mallingers commitment continues an impressive run of in-state commitments for Luke Fickell and his staff. So far the Badgers have seven commitments in their 2027 class, all from inside the state.
The group is lineman heavy. After signing just one high school lineman in the 2026 class, UW has made the position a greater priority in 2027. There are four O-linemen in the class so far: tackles Ethan McIntosh (Verona) and Cole Reiter (Germantown) and the Mallingers, who play tackle for Hamilton but appear headed for interior roles at the college level.
The class also includes a couple of four-star prospects in Reiter and Iola-Scandinavia tight end Korz Loken. While it’s was difficult for the Badgers to score commitments from some of the state’s top prospects the past couple of years, they’ve turned that around for the ’27 class. Seven of Rivals’ top 11 players in the state are UW recruits.
The class is holding its own nationally. UW’s class ranked 17th by Rivals and 15th by 247sports through April 1.
Competitiveness is part of Hunter, Reece Mallinger’s makeup
So what are the Badgers getting in the Mallinger brothers?
Hunter (6-foot-5, 285 pounds) might be a little more developed at this point. He was a first-team all-state selection by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association.
Reece (6-6, 285) missed his sophomore season due to a torn labrum, though he made up for lost time in 2025. He was an all-region selection who has collected 11 FBS offers since the end of the season.
Fickell stopped at Hamilton on Jan. 29 for a visit.
“I’ve not had a lot of twins over all my years coaching, but they’re pretty similar,” Gumm said. “I think what makes them really, really special is they are so good and they are twins. They compete in everything. I don’t care if it’s thumb war they want to win, kick their brother’s butt.”
Seeing Eric Mateos’ coaching style was key for Mallingers
The brothers’ commitments are another win for new Badgers offensive line coach Eric Mateos. Hired in December, he picked up UW’s recruitment of the Mallingers after former o-line coach AJ Blazek was not retained following two seasons.
Following in Blazek’s footsteps wasn’t easy.
“I think Coach Mateos, to his credit, has an awesome résumé,” Gumm said. “Every where he’s been, they’ve been really, really good on offense and specifically really, really good on the offensive line. And he’s got a really cool personality too.”
The tipping point may have been a recent trip to watch spring practice when the brothers were able see Mateos in action.
“Their biggest thing is they wanted to go somewhere and feel like they could get developed for the next level and going to spring ball practice a couple of times and watching him coach was a big, important piece for them,” Gumm said. “That was something I think that they were attracted to, too.”
With their college recruitment complete, Hunter and Reece Mallinger can now turn their full attention to preparing for the upcoming prep season.
Hamilton shared the Greater Metro Conference title and reached the state quarterfinals last season before losing to eventual champion Division 1 champion Arrowhead. Many of the Chargers’ top players were juniors.
“It’s a relief. I know it’s really probably for them more than anybody else, but really for all of us just to kind of be like, all right, now we can focus on what we feel like is a pretty special team this year,” Gumm said. “They can kind of put their nose to the grindstone and hopefully lead us to a special year this year.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Spring practice visit played key role in Mallingers’ commitment to Wisconsin
Reporting by Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
