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Luke Fickell and Wisconsin Badgers lose crown jewel of 2026 recruiting class

The Badgers have zero blue-chip recruits after a last-minute flip by elite RB
Cam Wilhorn|
Nov 29, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell looks on during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Nov 29, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell looks on during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers have endured back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the 1991 and 1992 seasons.

And while Luke Fickell navigated recruiting through a down 2024 campaign, they've had a much tougher time getting recruits to buy in this time around.

Several class of 2026 commits have revoked their pledge, but the biggest one, on early National Signing Day, particularly stings.

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Four-star running back Amari Latimer flips to West Virginia

Amari Latimer had been committed to Wisconsin since June 28. He announced Wednesday that he has flipped his commitment and will sign with West Virginia.

A consensus four-star recruit, Latimer has generated plenty of buzz among Badgers fans for his impressive mix of strength, speed and athleticism for a running back.

Latimer had held firm since extending his pledge to the Badgers, despite fielding plenty of interest and taking visits to schools like Tennessee, Ohio State and Georgia Tech. He was at Camp Randall just a couple of weeks ago to take in Wisconsin's upset win over Illinois.

But after it seemed like Wisconsin had successfully fended off Latimer's many suitors, West Virginia stepped in and flipped the talented running back right at the last minute.

It's a particularly tough pill to swallow for the Badgers, as Latimer's decision leaves the program with just 12 high school recruits — all of whom are three-stars by Rivals' industry rankings.

Wisconsin seemingly got out ahead of Latimer's potential flip, pursuing and flipping former Florida International (FIU) commit Qwantavius Wiggins in mid-November. Wiggins officially signed with the Badgers Wednesday morning.

Related: Physical tailback Qwantavius "Fatboy" Wiggins signs with the Wisconsin Badgers

While Latimer's decommitment won't leave the Badgers' running back room shorthanded, it drastically dropped the 2026 class's ranking.

According to On3/Rivals, Wisconsin's class ranked 47th nationally before Latimer's flip. The change dropped Wisconsin down to 60th, which is the third worst in the Big Ten, ahead of only Nebraska and UCLA.

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Cam Wilhorn
CAM WILHORN

Cam Wilhorn is a University of Wisconsin School of Journalism Graduate and Wisconsin native. He's been covering Wisconsin sports since 2023 for outlets like BadgerBlitz.com, Badger of Honor and The Badger Herald.

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