2 days ago
Wisconsin football recruiting assistant leaves for position with NFL team
Wisconsin football Associate Director of Player Personnel Zach Zilm Jr. announced on X on Sunday that he is leaving for a position with the Las Vegas Raiders. After nearly 30 months with the Badgers' recruiting staff, he'll be joining the Raiders as a player personnel assistant.
"I'm incredibly grateful and proud to share that I've accepted a player personnel position with the Las Vegas Raiders!" Zilm posted on X. "Wisconsin football staff — I can't put into words how appreciative I am for the opportunity to represent the motion W for the last 2 1/2 years. You took a chance on a hometown kid with nothing but a dollar and a dream! I will forever be thankful. As always, OnWisconsin."
According to his LinkedIn, Zilm originally joined the Badgers as a player personnel intern in February 2023. He was then promoted to a player personnel analyst in April 2023, then to the program's assistant director of player personnel in March 2024. He was a part of a Wisconsin recruiting staff that delivered top-25 classes in both the 2024 and 2025 cycles.
Zilm is not the only Wisconsin recruiting staffer to move elsewhere over the last six months -- general manager Max Stienecker left for the same position at USC in February. Notably, he and the Trojans currently sit atop the national recruiting rankings for the class of 2026 with 31 total commitments (21 blue-chip, one five-star). Wisconsin filled the general manager vacancy by promoting Deputy Athletic Director Marcus Sedberry, with Pat Lambert also taking a larger role atop the recruiting department.
Wisconsin's class of 2026 currently ranks No. 58 nationally with 14 commitments. It took a significant rankings slide after Zachary Taylor's recent decommitment.
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