Wisconsin men's basketball offers 2027 in-state forward Kager Knueppel
Wisconsin Lutheran standout Kager Knueppel has picked up a scholarship offer from Greg Gard and the Badgers.
While the Wisconsin men’s basketball team was handling Iowa at the Kohl Center, another storyline was quietly unfolding behind the scenes.
Four-star forward Kager Knueppel from Wisconsin Lutheran was in Madison for an unofficial visit Sunday and left campus with a scholarship offer from Greg Gard and the Badgers, according to a report from Mark Miller.
The 247Sports Composite currently ranks Knueppel No. 79 nationally in the 2027 class and the No. 5 overall player in Wisconsin.
That’s not a courtesy offer. That’s positioning.
The 6-foot-10 stretch forward in the 2027 class is now officially on Wisconsin’s recruiting board in what’s shaping up to be one of the most talent-rich in-state cycles the state has produced in recent memory.
Knueppel joins a growing list of local prospects the Wisconsin Badgers have offered, including Dooney Johnson, who has since committed to Gonzaga, Jalen Brown out of Wauwatosa West, Donovan Davis from Freedom, Deuce McDuffie at Nicolet, and Jack Kohnen out of Slinger.
That’s not accidental. In college basketball’s NIL and transfer portal era, roster building has changed, but Wisconsin hasn’t abandoned its foundation. The staff still wants to build a nucleus of players they recruit and develop within the program. And there’s no denying that in-state prospects often carry a different level of pride and long-term investment in the name on the front of the uniform.
That’s part of why you’ve seen a renewed emphasis on getting involved early with top in-state talent — while also supplementing the roster strategically through the portal and international recruiting. It’s not either-or. It’s a balance.
If the last name sounds familiar, it should.
Kager is the younger brother of Kon Knueppel, the former five-star recruit in the 2024 class whom Wisconsin pursued aggressively. The Badgers staff made him a clear priority, presenting a sizable NIL package and making it known they believed the Mr. Basketball winner could be a centerpiece in Madison.
Ultimately, Kon signed with Duke, spent one season in Durham, and was selected No. 4 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, where he’s enjoying a breakout rookie season.
Wisconsin knows this family. And they know the talent level.
Kager’s game is different from Kon’s to be sure, but the foundation is similar. He operates as a stretch forward for Wisconsin Lutheran, is comfortable stepping out, spacing the floor, and continues to grow into his frame. After averaging 13.5 points and 6.4 rebounds as a sophomore, Knueppel has elevated that production to an impressive 17.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game this season, while shooting 42% from beyond the arc as a junior, according to MaxPreps.
That kind of all-around stat line speaks to Knueppel’s versatility, feel for the game, and impact on the game beyond scoring.
The offer places Wisconsin alongside Purdue as the only two Big Ten programs to have officially offered Knueppel thus far. DePaul and Toledo have also extended scholarships, and Duke head coach Jon Scheyer has evaluated the Milwaukee native in person and is familiar with his game.
In this era, those offers carry weight. Programs have become far more selective, given roster limits, NIL budget allocation, and the constant movement in the transfer portal. Building a roster now requires precision and patience, as Coach Gard noted at Big Ten Media Days.
“It’s a balance that we talk about as a staff almost every day,” Gard said. “You don’t know who is going to be back, and now with the roster limitations, we just can’t throw things at the wall and see what sticks.
“We have to be really intentional and make sure you have the right people with the right mindset who want to be here, specifically from a high school standpoint. The hill to climb is a little harder because you have more older players on your roster, whether it be portal players or international. They’re coming with some experience and age. And you want to try and stay as mature, as experienced, and as old as you can.”
For Gard and his staff, this is about more than simply checking a recruiting box. The 2027 in-state class carries legitimate talent across the board. But in today’s roster-building environment, high school recruiting doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The transfer portal will shape the top of the roster first.
That’s the reality. From there, it becomes about evaluating needs, identifying skill sets that complement what’s already in place, and timing everything around who stays, who leaves, and where the gaps emerge.
But, make no mistake, this is a class the staff would like to land multiple in-state pieces from. And Knueppel represents a skill set that fits cleanly into what Wisconsin wants to be offensively: size, versatility, and the ability to stretch the floor around spacing and pace. Making an offer may not move the needle. But it certainly helps put the Badgers in the picture.
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