Wisconsin football extended an offer to four-star class of 2026 EDGE McHale Blade on Monday.
Both 247Sports’ composite ranking and On3’s industry ranking have Blade as a four-star recruit. The Country Club Hills, Illinois native already holds offers from 19 schools including Michigan, USC, Miami (Florida), Florida, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Missouri, Nebraska, Cincinnati and Tennessee.
247Sports has Blade as the No. 23 defensive lineman in the class of 2026, No. 6 recruit from Illinois and No. 192 overall player in the class. On3, on the other hand, has Blade as Illinois’ No. 1 recruit for 2026.
He currently stands at 6’4,” 230 pounds, representing Hillcrest High School in Illinois.
His first gridiron offer arrived from Florida in December 2023. Alongside Michigan, USC, Missouri and Texas A&M, Wisconsin became the latest program to offer Blade in May 2024.
Blessed to receive an offer from The University Of Wisconsin! @BadgerFootball @CoachWhit_UW @Coach_Mitch_ @AllenTrieu @EDGYTIM @Hawks4Football @KoachWeaver pic.twitter.com/7xIf2xmsZQ
— McHale Blade (@McHaleBlade) May 20, 2024
247sports has yet to release a crystal ball prediction, but On3’s recruiting prediction machine has in-state Illinois as Blade’s most likely landing spot.
Whether it be through recruiting cycles or the transfer portal, Wisconsin is certainly looking to bolster its defensive front.
Over the past week, UW’s recent DL transfer targets have committed elsewhere. Those include C.J. West to Indiana, Khurtiss Perry to Virginia Tech, Jay’Viar Suggs to LSU and Brandon Lane to Louisville.
Wisconsin has offered several 2026 recruits over the past few weeks, including Brayden Trimble, Kaleb Woods, Jarin Mock, Nick Reddish Brayden Robinson, Amari Sabb, and Will Conroy.