This past Monday, one of Wisconsin’s top class of 2026 targets received a 247Sports crystal ball prediction favoring a Big Ten rival. That is Rockford, Illinois, native Messiah Tilson, who is predicted to commit to Greg Schiano and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
The prediction came from the 247Sports staff collectively and was given with a ‘medium’ confidence level.
The recruiting service lists Tilson as a four-star recruit. He’s specifically ranked as the No. 434 player in the class of 2026, the No. 39 safety and the No. 11 recruit from his home state. Tilson visited the Badgers back on April 23. His other scheduled or completed visits are to Illinois on April 11, Iowa on April 18, Kentucky on June 3, Rutgers recently on June 6, Minnesota on June 13 and Kansas on June 20.
Tilson choosing the Scarlet Knights would be a major loss for the Badgers, who felt fairly confident for most of his recruitment. The prediction is noteworthy, as the 247Sports staff has yet to miss a prediction (20-for-20) during the 2026 cycle.
The Badgers haven’t had as much success to start the 2026 cycle as they experienced in 2024 and 2025. The program did have a strong first official visit weekend, already with five converted commitments. While potentially losing out on a defensive back prospect like Tilson is not ideal, several of Wisconsin’s top targets remain on the board.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin football blue-chip 2026 recruiting target predicted to choose a Big Ten rival
Reporting by Connor Whelan, Badgers Wire / Badgers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
