Wisconsin football extends offer to top class of 2026 defensive lineman

The Wisconsin Badgers extended an offer to top class of 2026 defensive end Trashawn Ruffin on Monday.

Ruffin becomes the third defensive line weapon from the class of 2026 to earn an offer from UW, joining three-star prospects Tyson Bacon and Damari Simeon.

Like his contemporaries, Ruffin already holds a laundry list of collegiate offers as a junior in high school. Those include NC State, Charlotte, South Carolina, Florida State, Georgia, USC, Florida, Virginia Tech, Liberty, West Virginia, Old Dominion, Texas A&M, Texas and Wisconsin, per On3.

On3, 247Sports and Rivals currently consider the 6’3,” 307-pound lineman as a three-star recruit at this stage of the recruiting process. On3 ranks him as the No. 272 overall recruit, No. 22 defensive lineman and No. 17 recruit from North Carolina for the class of 2026.

247Sports has yet to release a crystal ball prediction for where Ruffin will land. On3’s recruiting prediction machine, however, awards the NC State Wolfpack the highest probability to secure a commitment from the North Carolina native at 10.5%.

While three-star quarterback Jarrin Mock is the only player from the class of 2026 to commit to UW thus far, Fickell and company appear to be gradually shifting their focus to the upcoming cycle.