Wisconsin football rarely scores west coast recruiting wins. But the Badgers and Luke Fickell swooped up a huge California recruiting victory Sunday. Including beating out Missouri and Duke for this dual-threat from a distinguished powerhouse.

The Badgers received their newest verbal commit from quarterback Ryan Hopkins, who lines up for Mater Dei in Santa Ana. Hopkins confirmed his decision to Hayes Fawcett of On3 on Sunday evening.

Hopkins, a Newport Beach native, will soon handle QB duties for the Monarchs. He's coming over via Trinity League rival JSerra Catholic in San Juan Capistrano. Hopkins tossed 13 touchdowns, five interceptions and racked up 1,111 yards last season. The towering runner/thrower added eight rushing touchdowns on 58 carries. He also played for JSerra during his sophomore season on varsity.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder still reeled in significant interest from the power conference realm during his college football recruiting period. Missouri and Duke, again, landed in the final running for him. Cal out of the Atlantic Coast Conference also joined the mix. Michigan State and Kentucky emerged as two more offers for him.

How Wisconsin recruiting class shapes up after QB commit

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Fickell gets the luxury of focusing on his 2026 class thanks to a crucial university decision. Wisconsin extended his contract on Feb. 19, despite fielding mixed results in his time as head coach.

The Badgers have gotten ravaged in the QB room in the college football transfer portal, too. Mabrey Mettauer left back in December. Even Braedyn Locke also parted ways and entered the portal before Mettauer. Of course, Tyler Van Dyke was the biggest loss to the portal.

Wisconsin has delivered quiet results so far for the 2026 class with five verbal commitments. Hopkins, though, becomes the first Golden State commit. Hopkins himself shared to 247Sports' Evan Flood why Wisconsin is the right fit for him. 

“The culture at Wisconsin really stood out to me,” Hopkins told Badger247. “They're all about their hard work, toughness. It really just felt like family. The energy around the program is unmatched from the coaches to the fans who come out and support them. I trust the coaching staff and believe in their vision for the program.”

Hopkins visited UW in April, which helped win him over. He adds he'll visit in June on an official.