
Updated Big Ten football 2026 team recruiting rankings (July 18)
July is college football's closest thing to a month off in today's age. There are no bowl games, no transfer portal window, no training camp practice and, for these purposes, no recruiting visits or contact. The closest thing to news that we get is a commitment or two and the start of dedicated season preparation.
That preparation will pick up significantly next week, as the Big Ten holds its media days in Las Vegas, Nevada, from July 22-24. Wisconsin is one of six programs scheduled for Wednesday, July 23's session
Before that date turns full focus to the fast-approaching season, it's worth taking a few late-summer looks at the Big Ten team recruiting rankings for the class of 2026. The rankings are close to final, with limited commitments trickling in throughout the month.
Updated Big Ten football class of 2026 team recruiting rankings (July 18)
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indianapolis Star
12 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
Will Curt Cignetti and Indiana football make noise at Big Ten media days? What you need to know
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football heads to Las Vegas on Monday for the 2025 Big Ten media days. The three-day event will run from July 22-24 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino with all 18 teams from the league in attendance. The Hoosiers will help kick off the event Tuesday along with Illinois, Rutgers, Maryland, Nebraska and Ohio State. Indiana coaches and players will make the rounds for interviews with various television networks and reporters from across the country. Here's everything you need to know about this year's event: The Big Ten Network will air Cignetti's initial news conference live Tuesday. Cignetti and IU players will also sit down for interviews during the network's live special that day from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., but times have yet to be announced. IndyStar, the Herald-Times and USA Today Network outlets will be on hand. Each of the league's 18 teams will be represented by its head coach and three student-athletes. Cignetti chose linebacker Aiden Fisher, wide receiver Elijah Sarratt and defensive end Mikail Kamara to join him in Las Vegas. They had success for Cignetti last year after following him from James Madison to Bloomington and will be three of the most veteran players on the roster in 2025 with 110 games (86 starts) of experience between them. Fisher and Kamara earned All-American honors last season, and all three of them made the All-Big Ten team. There wasn't a dull moment at last year's Big Ten media days when Cignetti had a microphone in front of him. He talked about getting rid of 'dead wood' in the portal, dissed the Rose Bowl as just an 'old stadium,' took some parting shots at JMU's wannabe rival Coastal Carolina and gave his TED talk on self-imposed limitations. 'Oh, if we got to a bowl it's a great year, bull----,' Cignetti said. 'That ain't the goal, the goal is to be the best.' Cignetti used the moment to generate buzz back at home in Bloomington as part of his quest to get fans to buy into a program that hadn't done much to reward their enthusiasm in recent years. It was an extension of the infamous speech he gave at Assembly Hall on the day he was introduced as coach. Indiana's College Football Playoff appearance solidified the increasing buzz surrounding the program and resulted in record ticket sales ahead of the 2025 season. So what now? Cignetti doesn't want IU to fade into the background while he eyes building a perennial contender. Big Ten media days will give him the platform to make sure fans across the country know the Hoosiers aren't going anywhere. Mikail Kamara likes to say he spoke Indiana's success into existence last season. He was an early believer in the group Cignetti assembled that included a large contingent of Kamara's teammates from James Madison. Kamara told reporters they were destined for big things before IU even wrapped up spring camp. Kamara echoed that sentiment as the first Hoosiers player to start openly talking about making the College Football Playoff on the heels of a 41-24 win over Northwestern that left them as one of just nine unbeaten teams left in the country at 6-0. 'The only way for you to see that future is to manifest it,' Kamara said last season. 'That's kind of always been my thing.' Kamara will be able to reveal what he's manifesting for the Hoosiers in 2025 on his business trip out to Las Vegas.


USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
BTN programming schedule for 2025 Big Ten Football media days next week
The college football season, and the opportunity to watch YOUR Ohio State Buckeyes on the gridiron, is just a little over a month away. And, if we are that close to breaking the seal on the 2025 college football season, it must be time for the annual spectacle that is Big Ten football media days. This year, the conference is taking advantage of its extended footprint out west by holding media days in Las Vegas, Nevada, so if there were ever a reason to cover all of the player and coach interviews, this would be it. Unfortunately for me, I'll be on a Disney Cruise instead, so the coverage will have to be from the view of the ocean with a drink in hand instead (woe is me). But never fear, we'll bring the coverage you deserve to you, and it all starts with understanding what the programming schedule will be. As always, the Big Ten Network will be on-site covering it all, and since there are 18 teams in the league, the event is now spread out over three days. Here's a look at the schedule of events the Big Ten Network will be covering Day 1: Tuesday, July 22: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State, Rutgers *Note: Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is set to take to the podium at 12:45 p.m. ET Day 2: Wednesday, July 23: Minnesota, Northwestern, Oregon, Penn State, Washington, Wisconsin Day 3: Thursday, July 24: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, USC There are always some interesting quotes, sound bites, and moments during Big Ten football media days, so make sure you come along for the ride with us. Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.


USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
2025 Arizona Cardinals training camp roster preview: LB Cody Simon
We will preview every player on the Cardinals roster leading up to training camp. This is about LB Cody Simon. The Arizona Cardinals report to training camp on July 22 and begin the process of preparing for the regular season, forming the roster and determining starting jobs and roles on the team. Leading up to the start of camp, we will take a look at every player on the offseason roster, their background, their contract, their play in 2024, questions they face and their roster outlook. Next up is inside linebacker Cody Simon. Cody Simon background, 2024 season A fourth-round pick from Ohio State by the Cardinals in this year's draft, Simon was a team captain in 2024 and was named winner of the Bill Willis Block "O" jersey for leadership, toughness, accountability and highest of character. He was the defensive MVP in a playoff win over Oregon with 11 tackles (three for loss) and 2.0 sacks and in the national championship win with eight tackles (one for loss). In five seasons with the Buckeyes, Simon played 58 games with 30 starts, totaling 259 tackles (23 for loss), 10.0 sacks, 11 passes defensed, an interception and four quarterback hurries. Of the 259 tackles, 255 were in his final four seasons. In 2024, he had a career-high 112 tackles (13 for loss), 7.0 sacks and seven passes defensed. Aside from football, Simons was a Big Ten Conference distinguished scholar, a four-time Ohio State scholar-athlete and a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree who graduated with a degree in finance and is currently working on a master's degree in human development and family services. Cody Simon 2025 contract details, cap hit Simon's rookie four-year contract is worth $5.2 million, including a $1.005 million signing bonus. His base salary this year is $840,000 and he carries a salary-cap charge of $1.091 million. 2025 questions, roster outlook With ability, character and intelligence, Simon could give Akeem David-Gaither strong competition for the starting Mike linebacker job. He appears headed for that at some point, depending on how quickly he becomes comfortable with the defensive scheme. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.