After initially committing to Northern Iowa, the Wisconsin Lutheran standout reopened his recruitment when the Panthers' head coach Ben Jacobson left for the head coaching vacancy at Utah State. Head coach Greg Gard and the Wisconsin staff wasted no time extending an offer to the newly available in-state prospect , but it ultimately wasn't enough to seal the deal.

Zens took visits to Utah State, Illinois, and Wisconsin during his accelerated second recruitment before ultimately deciding that Champaign, Illinois was the best fit for his collegiate career.

Blessed‼️ #committed #letswork pic.twitter.com/tK9Gd5QiDw

— Zavier Zens (@Zavier44) April 17, 2026

Missing out on an in-state Mr. Basketball, especially when getting a rare second chance in his recruitment, can be a tough pill to swallow for Gard and the Badgers.…