Benjamin Novak, an interior offensive lineman from the class of 2026, announced his commitment to the Wisconsin Badgers on Monday. He is the Badgers' second commitment from the class of 2026.
Wisconsin was also successful in landing three-star quarterback Jarin Mock from Ohio. He announced his commitment in July.
Novak visited Wisconsin during their Week 6 win over Purdue. It wasn't his first as he also visited in the summer and built a good relationship with offensive line coach AJ Blazek.
"Everything made sense for me," Novak said per On3 on Monday. "I wanted to be an elite student-athlete and I feel I get all those attributes at Wisconsin. Wisconsin is constantly referred to as 'O-line University' and I feel their O-line coach, coach Blazek, meets those standards of being an elite O-line coach."
Benjamin Novak is a three-star recruit per 247Sports. He received offers from several schools, including Ball State, Western Michigan, Indiana, Toledo, Louisville, Kentucky, Minnesota, Notre Dame and Purdue, among others.
Benjamin Novak's high school head coach, Chris Skinner, had high praise for his offensive lineman
The OL from Andrean High School in Indiana is in his junior year. His coach, Chris Skinner, spoke very highly about him after the announcement.
"His attention to detail and need to reach perfection perfectly encapsulates his story," Skinner said per On3. "He did not start playing football till freshman year. Obviously, he has some God-given ability in terms of size but it’s really been his work ethic and focus on the details that has gotten him to this point."
"He’s very responsible. He’s not just a football player. He’s a very well-rounded individual. We take a lot of pride that’s how our kids are and cut from that same cloth."
Benjamin Novak knew he was going to commit to Wisconsin since his first visit to Madison in the summer. He praised the team's fanbase and the atmosphere during the games and said that he has "fallen in love with the place."