The Wisconsin Badgers got some surprising news on Wednesday, as 2027 four-star center Jack Thelen, one of the bigger risers of the cycle this offseason, decommitted from the program.
Thelen, ranked the No. 107 player in the 2027 class and the No. 1 player in the state of Minnesota, had been committed to the Badgers since June 13th, joining fellow four-stars Baboucarr Ann and Jalen Brown. At the time, Wisconsin had the No. 3 recruiting class in the country with their three four-star commits.
However, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, Thelen is no longer committed to Wisconsin.
“NEWS: Four-star center Jack Thelen has decommitted from Wisconsin and is reopening his recruitment, his agents at WME Basketball told me and Pete Thamel,” Borzello tweeted. “The 7-foot-1 Minnesota native averaged 8.5 PPG and 6.0 RPG on the 3SSB circuit, ending the summer as ESPN’s No. 14 center.”
Thelen was also 247Sports’s No. 14 center on their composite rankings. He was considered as a higher-upside player at 7’1, 240 pounds, but a recruit that would need some time to develop, which isn’t always a favorable situation in today’s NIL world.
It’s unclear what prompted the move, but this is quite surprising for Wisconsin, who had been interested in Thelen for some time before acquiring his commitment this summer.
Now, the Badgers have the No. 23 recruiting class in the 2027 cycle with Jalen Brown, ranked the No. 68 player in the class, and Baboucarr Ann, ranked the No. 92 player in the class by 247Sports.
