Wisconsin football lands verbal commitment from 2026 edge rusher Yahya Gaad
Wisconsin football has landed a commitment from 2026 3-star Edge rusher Yahya Gaad out of Tennessee, who was a former UCLA pledge.
Sometimes recruiting wins come disguised as second chances. For the University of Wisconsin football program, Yahya Gaad’s path to Madison took a few detours, but the destination always made sense.
Over the weekend, the Badgers landed a verbal commitment from 2026 defensive end Yahya Gaad, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound edge rusher from South Gibson High School in Medina, Tennessee.
The former UCLA and SMU commit chose Wisconsin over a deep list of scholarship offers that included Florida State, Georgia, Ole Miss, Missouri, and North Carolina.
“I’m home,” Gaad wrote when announcing his decision.
Gaad’s recruitment has been a story of persistence and patience.
Wisconsin offered him late in 2024, well before his commitment to UCLA, and defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow and outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell never stopped recruiting him. When an official visit planned for early summer fell through, the staff stayed in contact, checking in and showing long-term interest. Even after he pledged to the Bruins, the Badgers kept their foot in the door. That subtle consistency mattered.
When UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster was dismissed after a disappointing first season, Gaad reopened his recruitment. Wisconsin’s coaching staff moved quickly to capitalize on the familiarity they had built.
His official visit to campus for the Iowa game may have coincided with one of the program’s lowest points on the field, but it ended up being one of the biggest weekends on the recruiting trail across several classes.
Gaad isn’t your typical pass-rushing stat hunter. He’s a physical defender who sets the edge, wins with leverage, and plays with an unrelenting motor. He has the frame and versatility to play multiple roles along the Badgers’ front. He can crash down in run support or slide inside in certain packages, giving Wisconsin’s staff a tool they can use in different ways depending on the look.
On tape, you see a player who refuses to be blocked, using strong hands, good length, and a willingness to chase down plays from the backside. The coaching staff sees some of the same traits they’ve traditionally coveted, but with more positional flexibility.
According to the composite, Gaad is ranked the No. 534 player nationally, the No. 62 defensive lineman in the 2026 class, and the No. 18 player in the state of Tennessee.
He’s also the first defensive commit for position coach Matt Mitchell, and the second player from Tennessee to commit to the Badgers in this cycle. In some ways, that geography piece is significant. Wisconsin has never signed more than one player from the state in a single recruiting cycle, but under Luke Fickell, the staff has managed to sell their vision.
His commitment also helps fill a major need after the decommitment of Carmelow Reed, giving Wisconsin back the big-bodied edge presence it wanted in this class that it can develop for the future. He’ll join a defensive group that includes commits from Donovan Dunmore, Carson Eloms, Aden Reeder, Ben Wenzel, as well as Djidjou Bah and Arthur Scott.
Gaad also fits the kind of personality Wisconsin needs more of in its locker room. He’s tough, blue-collar, and relentless. You can tell from the tape and the way his coaches talk about him that he plays with an edge. He doesn’t take many plays off, and he doesn’t seem to care for the spotlight. That kind of mindset is exactly what the Badgers have been missing.
For Wisconsin, this commitment checks all the right boxes. It stabilizes the defensive line group and gives the staff a versatile edge rusher who fits their physical identity, and keeps recruiting momentum alive at a time when the on-field product has raised more than a few major questions.
With Gaad’s commitment, Wisconsin’s 2026 recruiting class now ranks No. 52 nationally. It continues to take shape around the offensive headliners like quarterback Ryan Hopkins, wide receiver Jayden Petit, and running back Amari Latimer. The Badgers also hold verbal commits from offensive linemen Benjamin Novak and Maddox Cochrane, wide receivers Tayshon Bardo and Zion Legree, plus tight ends Jack Sievers and Jack Janda.
Gaad might not arrive at Wisconsin as a blue-chip recruit, but he fits the DNA that this program has found success with and this staff wants to build around: physical, unselfish, and determined to outwork everyone.
That’s the kind of recruiting win that won’t move the needle today but could matter a whole lot down the road. And who knows, in the transient world of college football, there’s no guarantee coach Fickell will even be around long enough to see Gaad’s potential fully realized.
But if Wisconsin is ever going to turn things around, it’s going to take players who believe in the vision more than the moment. Right now, Gaad fits that description.
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