The Wisconsin Badgers secured a commitment from 2026 three-star running back Qwantavius Wiggins earlier this week, making a late addition to the class by flipping the former FIU commit.
Wiggins, a native
of Georgia, stands 5’10, 190 pounds, according to 247Sports, and hails from the same state as fellow Wisconsin 2026 running back commit Amari Latimer.
Latimer was the prized recruit of Wisconsin’s class, as the Badgers canceled other official visits earlier this summer to go all-in on the Georgia native, beating out some major Power 4 competition to secure his commitment.
But, as expected, there has been some serious interest in the four-star running back, who has taken official visits with the Ohio State Buckeyes and Tennessee Volunteers this fall, with the Miami Hurricanes also looking to get in the mix.
That begs the question: is the addition of Wiggins in expectation of losing Latimer, or could Wisconsin take two backs in the 2026 class?
First off, Wiggins on his own is a very quality get for the Badgers, providing a different type of back in the room and giving the team another college-ready player at the position. He should compete for reps as a freshman, but it is a pretty strong group of players for the Badgers with the emergence of Gideon Ituka over the last few weeks.
Wiggins was seeing some interest from the Florida State Seminoles and Auburn Tigers this fall, so it was a good job from Wisconsin to close that one out and get who is now their No. 3 recruit in the class, according to 247Sports.
However, the arrival of Wiggins doesn’t mean the departure of Latimer, who Wisconsin is still pushing hard to keep in their 2026 class one month out from National Signing Day.
Latimer’s visit with Ohio State became public and was initially a concern, as the Badgers weren’t made aware of the plans before the fact. But, that interest has started to die down, as the Buckeyes landed four-star athlete Legend Bey earlier this week.
Instead, the Miami Hurricanes have emerged as the biggest threat for Latimer, and Wisconsin will need to fight to keep his commitment over the next month. The Badgers are looking for a two-back class with Wiggins and Latimer, though, which would be an excellent 1-2 punch in the 2026 class.
If they do miss out on Latimer, Wiggins is still a quality running back who can be the No. 1 guy in the class, and a solid get nonetheless.
There’s still plenty of time before the dust settles, but Wisconsin has positioned themselves to be in a good spot at running back one month out from National Signing Day.
