The Wisconsin Badgers have seen their fair share of hits and misses in the 2026 class, but none were bigger than the commitments of four-stars Jayden Petit and Amari Latimer last month.
Petit, a 6’4, 200-pound wide receiver from Florida, had been heavily recruited across the country, with schools like Oklahoma and Missouri pushing at the end. Ultimately, he ended up with the Badgers after two visits in June, solidifying a strong inaugural class for new wide receivers coach Jordan Reid.
Latimer, on
the other hand, was arguably Wisconsin’s top target, regardless of position. The Badgers seemed behind the 8-ball months ago for the talented running back from the state of Georgia, especially given his hefty offer list.
But, Wisconsin remained firm with its communication, and the addition of Jacksonville State transfer cornerback Geimere Latimer, Amari’s brother, in the transfer portal helped as well.
At the end, it didn’t seem like Georgia, the team initially considered to land Latimer, was pushing as hard, with the running back not going on an official visit to there or Texas. Instead, he only visited Georgia Tech before committing to the Badgers.
Well, as we know in the recruiting world, things are never set in stone until a player signs on the dotted line.
Now, the Longhorns have had a strong summer recruiting running backs, landing blue-chip five-star Derrek Cooper. Georgia, on the other hand, has missed out on some of their top targets, including Cooper.
The Bulldogs were also targeting five-star Ezavier Crowell, who committed to Alabama, and the No. 1 running back in the class, five-star Savion Hiter, who seems primed to head elsewhere as well.
That leaves Georgia with one running back in their 2026 class: four-star commit Jae Lamar. Now, given the Bulldogs’ depth at the position, they could very well go with one running back in the class, but it seems their goal for quite some time has been to land two.
That takes us to Latimer, who has now risen up Georgia’s board as a potential flip candidate after missing out on other targets.
The four-star is firmly committed to Wisconsin, and his familial connection will be a big factor in keeping him tied to the Badgers. But, Georgia could look to push for a flip in the fall, which would put Wisconsin in a rough position, given they went all-in on Latimer.
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