All Badgers

Wisconsin Badgers recruiting DB who decommitted from Penn State after James Franklin firing

The Wisconsin Badgers are swooping in to try and take a former Penn State commit who is available again after the Nittany Lions fired James Franklin.
Lorin Cox|
Sep 4, 2021; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands with the team before taking the field prior to the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium.
Sep 4, 2021; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands with the team before taking the field prior to the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

In this story:

Wisconsin BadgersPenn State Nittany Lions

The Wisconsin Badgers are swooping in to try and take a former Penn State commit who is available again after the Nittany Lions fired James Franklin.

Three-star defensive back Julian Peterson from New Jersey posted on social media Wednesday that he received an offer from Wisconsin and safeties coach Jack Cooper.

The announcement came just a few hours after he publicly announced he was de-committing from Penn State and re-opening his recruitment.

Listed at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Peterson is rated as the No. 51 cornerback in the country by both Rivals and 247 Sports.

He committed to the Nittany Lions in January despite offers from other major programs like Georgia.

Wisconsin was not the only school to jump back into recruiting him as soon as he became available. Right before announcing his Badgers offer, he also posted offers from Clemson and North Carolina.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers 2026 commits fielding offers from Big Ten rivals amid losing streak

Other Big Ten schools that pursued Peterson previously include Maryland and Minnesota.

Luke Fickell has two cornerback commits for the class of 2026 in Carson Eloms from Indiana and the recently added Donovan Dunmore from California.

Wisconsin doesn't have any true safeties committed for next year, so the pursuit from assistant coach Jack Cooper could signal the Badgers see Peterson playing on the back end.

More Wisconsin Badgers News:

Published | Modified
Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

Home/Recruiting