Most Important Players For Wisconsin in 2026: No. 15 Jacob Harris

MADISON, Wis. — Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Badger Blitz is counting down the 26 most important players for Wisconsin this fall. We continue with junior tight end Jacob Harris, who could be one of the steals of the portal for the Badgers… 2025 Rewind Harris comes to Wisconsin by way of Bowling Green. As a sophomore, Harris caught 19 passes for 182 yards and five touchdowns. He was a big red zone threat for the Falcons, but the Badgers will try and turn Harris into an every-down tight end. The son of former Bowling Green star quarterback Josh Harris, Jacob’s five touchdowns led all MAC tight ends in 2025. Over the last three seasons, Harris has appeared in 23 total games. Why Harris is No. 15 There’s a very real case for Harris being much higher on this list, potentially even top 10. However, I want to see how his spring performance translates to fall camp and on Saturdays in front of 80,000 plus. Harris had a very nice spring camp. The junior tight end catches your eye right away with his outstanding size at 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds. Harris also has the ability to move well at that weight and get off the line of scrimmage while playing with his hand in the dirt. His best attribute? Harris has a terrific catch radius. Coming to Bowling Green as a receiver, Harris hasn’t lost that ability to catch the ball away from his body or go to the ground. “My dad played quarterback for Coach Meyer (Urban Meyer). I’ve been playing football since I was five,” Harris explained. “When you’ve got a guy like that, your hands are gonna be pretty good. We’ve been developing it from the time I’ve been playing the sport. We believe that if you can get your hand on it, you’ve gotta come up with it. If the ball is in the air, it’s yours. That’s just the mentality in our house. Not allowed to have the ball get intercepted. I’ll take a penalty before an interception.” Wisconsin doesn’t appear to have a lot of above-average threats in the passing game. They’ll need a strong season from Harris. What They Said About Harris Harris made a number of highlight catches during spring ball. He was also valuable for quarterback Colton Joseph as a safety net in the 6-8 yard range. Harris’ blocking was also better than expected. In the quarterback run game, Harris often led the charge on the edge. “I think an underlooked gift that people have is catching the football,” tight ends coach Nate Letton said. “That’s something that some people are blessed with more than others, and he has it. He’s been blessed with that, probably more than any other (tight end) I’ve been around. He has a knack for the football. He’s got a really good spatial awareness and a really good feel for how to get himself open. “When you have those gifts, and you’re 265 pounds, and you move pretty well at that size, you have tools in your toolbelt where you get to the top of the route, and somebody is playing bump coverage, you can be physical. Or if somebody is playing off, because they’re a little bit afraid of your catch radius, you’ve got that awareness you can get yourself open, and the quarterback trusts you’re going to be on time. He just kind of has this blend of being really big and athletic, but also blessed with the natural feel of space and catching the football, which is a fun little toy that we get to play with.”