Wisconsin basketball offers four-star Illinois wing after campus visit
Wisconsin extended a scholarship offer to four-star Illinois wing Cole Kelly in the 2028 class following his visit to Madison.
The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program added another name to its growing list of 2028 scholarship offers.
Following an unofficial visit to Madison, Greg Gard and the Badgers extended a scholarship offer to four-star Illinois wing Cole Kelly, one of the top 100-ranked prospects in the 2028 recruiting class.
“After a great conversation with Coach Gard and staff, I am excited and grateful to receive an offer from the University of Wisconsin!” Kelly wrote.
For Wisconsin, the visit was as much about getting to know Kelly off the court as it was evaluating one of the Midwest’s premier young prospects. Regarded as the No. 2 player in Illinois, the Neuqua Valley standout has quickly established himself as one of the top wings in the 2028 cycle.
Listed at 6-foot-7, Kelly checks nearly every box Wisconsin looks for in a modern perimeter player.
He possesses the size to guard multiple positions, the vision and IQ to facilitate offense as a point-forward, and the skill set to score at all three levels. Whether creating off the bounce, knocking down perimeter shots, or finishing at the rim, Kelly’s versatility consistently stands out on film.
The production only reinforces that evaluation.
After averaging 19 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists per game as a freshman, Kelly followed up with an outstanding sophomore campaign in which he earned First Team All-State honors and became an Illinois Mr. Basketball finalist. Kelly has carried that momentum onto the adidas 3SSB circuit, where he continues producing against older competition.
Wisconsin is far from the only program involved.
Kelly already holds scholarship offers from Illinois, Purdue, Iowa, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Creighton, DePaul, Drake, Saint Louis, and several others, making this one of the more competitive recruitments the Badgers have entered in the 2028 class.
The offer also continues Wisconsin’s work in shaping its 2028 recruiting board. After a busy summer of player evaluations, Kelly joins Minnesota guard Kevin “KJ” Wilson, in-state forward Joey Kohnen, and Arizona wing Terrance Byrd as prospects the Badgers have identified as priorities to continue building relationships with moving forward.
With the anticipated shift to a 5-year age-based eligibility model looming and the uncertainty surrounding international recruiting, Wisconsin seems to be placing renewed importance on identifying high school talent early in the process.
There is still a long road ahead before decisions are made, but Wisconsin wasted little time making its intentions clear. After getting Kelly on campus, the Badgers saw enough to make the left-handed wing an offer and jump into the mix with a host of Big Ten and high-major programs.
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Hi you doing Mr Graff, i haven't commented much since we texted awhile back, still enjoy reading your articles. I hope our overseas recruits are allowed to play. As I think Jackson Ball is going to surprise alot of people and I think Mr Gard is doing a fine job in evolving to all changes in the game. But hopefully we have guard or wing player who can drive to rim and finish better. I think if we had one last year, who knows how far we could of went in the tournament. We'll, that's my opinion and a little better defense . Anyways great read as always.