Legacy in-state OL Ethan McIntosh announces commitment to Wisconsin football
Wisconsin added its first 2027 commit as Verona offensive lineman Ethan McIntosh chose the Badgers over multiple Power Four offers.
If you wanted a snapshot of the direction Wisconsin football is trying to steer this thing, this week offered it: a long-overdue Big Ten win with priority recruits in the building, followed by the first brick of the 2027 class as Verona offensive tackle Ethan McIntosh decided to stay home.
“After careful consideration, I am blessed to announce that I will be committing to the University of Wisconsin!” McIntosh wrote.
“I’d like to thank all of my family, teammates, and coaches for all the sacrifices and guidance they have given me throughout this process, and for always pushing me to be the best version of myself that I can be! Only the beginning.”
This commitment from McIntosh, while expected, checks a lot of boxes.
McIntosh is an in-state priority from a program the staff knows well. He is already a composite three-star prospect with room to climb. He’s also the son of Wisconsin Badgers Athletic Director Chris McIntosh, one of the most decorated offensive linemen to come through the program.
A consensus All-American, McIntosh started at tackle on the Badgers’ back-to-back Rose Bowl championship teams in 1998 and 1999 before playing in the NFL and eventually returning to Madison to lead the universities athletic department.
The genetics are obvious. So is the trajectory.
Wisconsin offered in mid-June after a strong camp showing inside Camp Randall. That moment landed on the 50-yard line with position coach AJ Blazek, assistants Casey Rabach, Zach Heeman, Jared Thompson, head coach Luke Fickell, and yes, Dad, all close by. At the time, the 6-foot-7, 250-pound lineman held early scholarship offers from Iowa State, Kansas, Northwestern, and Washington State.
As the fall played out, Illinois, Nebraska, Colorado State, and Duke began vying for his services.
McIntosh kept coming back to campus on Saturdays to visit, including the upset of No. 24 Washington, and now he is verbal commit No. 1 for 2027.
In many ways, the staff’s evaluation matches the offer timeline.
McIntosh’s junior season was a big step forward. He added roughly 20 pounds from sophomore to junior season and still looks lean, which is what you want when you project the next jump inside a college strength program led by Brady Collins.
The film showcases a tall frame that sits well for his height, light feet, and the kind of balance typically seen in multi-sport athletes, such as McIntosh, who also competes in wrestling.
That growth isn’t happening by accident. McIntosh has leaned heavily on the person who knows that position better than almost anyone: his dad.
“It’s truly been a blessing to be able to break down film with him and ask him all sorts of questions about what I can be doing better and how I can improve,” McIntosh told BadgerNotes.
He openly tries to model parts of his game after his father’s, and that connection continues to shape the way he approaches development.
That background often shows up in his leverage and hand placement. He was a unanimous first-team all-conference and all-region pick for Verona High School. As it stands, the composite recruiting services currently slot McIntosh as a top-50 tackle nationally in the 2027 cycle, ranked No. 566 overall, and the No. 5 player in what looks to be a strong in-state class.
Wisconsin’s coaching staff needs to get back to recruiting, retaining, and developing the right kinds of players. And for all the ways they’ve fallen short with in-state talent in recent cycles, prospects like McIntosh represent the chance to reclaim a blueprint that once carried this program.
The landscape has changed. NIL and the transfer portal make it harder to keep homegrown talent, but that only raises the value of players who believe in the program’s brass and want to be part of its foundation.
That alignment, both a belief in the place and in the process, is central to how McIntosh chooses to carry himself. Being a legacy comes with extra attention, but he makes it clear that the real pressure comes from within.
“The biggest challenge has been living up to my own expectations,” McIntosh shared. “Whether it be in the gym, on the field, or off the field, I always want to be doing everything to my absolute best ability.”
That mindset is a big part of why Wisconsin views him as more than a familiar last name. McIntosh carries the standard in a mature and admirable way, and he’s embraced the responsibility that comes with it.
If you are building a board the way Wisconsin traditionally has, you start with in-state linemen who can grow into the body and the scheme. McIntosh fits that blueprint. He is not a finished product, but few juniors are.
The arrow is up, the frame is real, and the playing strength is catching up. If he continues to add a ton of good weight over the next year without losing the foot quickness, you’re looking at a prototype Big Ten tackle.
There is also a bigger picture to consider here. Wisconsin wants 2027 to be a statement class in its backyard. Landing McIntosh gives the staff a public cornerstone while they recruit other in-state priorities.
Names to know: tight end Korz Loken, Cole Reiter, Hunter Mallinger, and Reece Mallinger on the offensive line; edge rusher Isaac Miller; safety Dustin Roach; and running back Kingston Allen are all high on the staff’s board.
Credit the relationships, too. Blazek, the offensive line coach, was the primary recruiter for McIntosh, and the message from the coaching staff under Jeff Grimes has resonated. Prospects want to see a plan. They want to know how the system will use length and movement skills in space, and how quickly the strength program can turn “promising frame” into “game-ready.” McIntosh heard that pitch, saw the path, and acted.
There’s also no denying that anything other than McIntosh following in his father’s footsteps and playing for a team he grew up rooting for would have been a surprise, and probably a red flag about where things stood. That said, the staff still deserves recognition for making this recruitment process about his development and getting it across the finish line.
For the here and now, this verbal commitment is about momentum and identity. Wisconsin is trying to re-establish the line of scrimmage as the program’s backbone while modernizing how it recruits and develops. McIntosh is the kind of take that fits both the past and the plan. He is local, he is ascending, and he gives you a recruiting foothold that can help pull other in-state targets on board.
Could this be the start of a run? That is the hope. Get the offensive line room right with players who can pass protect in space and still move people in the run game. Stack interior bodies who can anchor. Keep a tight circle with the best high school staff in Wisconsin. Then go supplement with other pieces around the country that mirror your values.
Bottom line: this is a smart, early add with real upside. Wisconsin did not just take the athletic director’s son. They took a prospect who has grown as a player, competes in multiple disciplines, and fits the positional profile the Big Ten demands. If the development curve keeps bending the way it has, the Badgers just laid a foundation piece for their future offensive line.
And if you are keeping score at home, the week told a story. Win a Big Ten game. Plant your flag early in 2027 with an offensive tackle who looks the part. That’s how Luke Fickell and his staff start stacking the kind of small wins they desperately need. Call it goodwill, call it direction, they’ll take it.
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