The undercurrent of instability around Wisconsin’s football program led Benjamin Novak to take a harder look at his future.
The 6-6, 315-pound Andrean High School offensive lineman took a visit to Indiana a month ago for the Michigan State game, a trip that eventually helped influence his decision to flip his commitment from Wisconsin to IU. Novak made that announcement on his social media account on Wednesday.
The three-star prospect, ranked as the No. 13 in-state prospect in the class by 247sports composite rankings, plans to sign with IU during the December signing period.
“It stemmed from the conditions at Wisconsin at the moment,” Novak said. “My former head coach at Wisconsin (Luke Fickell) is under a lot of stress and I didn’t know where the program was headed. There were a lot of rumors going around and I talked with my parents, and we talked about having a ‘plan B’ and ‘plan C.’”
Two weeks ago, Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh confirmed that Fickell would be back as the Badgers’ coach in 2026 with an increased investment in infrastructure and staff. Wisconsin is 3-6 in Fickell’s third season as coach, though, and also lost a commitment this week from another offensive tackle prospect, Maddox Cochrane, of Richmond, Virginia.
Wisconsin’s loss is IU’s gain. Novak was recruited by the Hoosiers prior his commitment to the Badgers last October. He said he was blown away by the IU staff’s “professionalism” on his visit for the Michigan State game and through the last month.
“Everything about (IU) is very professional,” said Novak, whose parents graduated from Purdue. “The culture and the staff they have there, from coach (Curt) Cignetti to the rest of the staff and the standards they have there … they know what the expectations are and what they have to do to live up to it. They were always available to me through the process. I never had a problem getting a hold of Matt Wilson, the recruiting director. It was kind of like a warm hug after I reached back out to them.”
Novak said offensive line coach and run game coordinator Bob Bostad sees him as an offensive tackle at IU, though he could also play guard. Novak will graduate early from Andrean and enroll in January. He is the sixth in-state commit in IU’s 24-player recruiting class, joining Columbus North tight end Parker Elmore, Decatur Central receiver/cornerback Kasmir Hicks, Crown Point linebacker Trevor Gibbs, Franklin defensive lineman Blake Smythe and Center Grove offensive lineman C.J. Scifres.
“I’m good friends with Trevor Gibbs and I’ve gotten to know Blake Smythe and I’ve seen Kasmir Hicks at some various Indiana events,” said Novak, whose Andrean team will host Adams Central in a Class 2A semistate game Friday night.
While Novak admits it is not ideal to start over in the recruiting process this late, he said it ended up in a positive.
“It is kind of difficult in some aspects,” Novak said. “You kind of get used to a process at Wisconsin. But once you get past that, Indiana is the real deal.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Benjamin Novak flips commitment to Indiana football from Wisconsin
