Say what you want about Luke Fickell, but you can't deny that the man knows how to get the job done with recruiting. Such was the case on Saturday night, with a top Wisconsin football target giving the staff the news they were hoping for.
Moments ago, 4-star running back Amari Latimer officially shut down his recruitment and he indeed announced his commitment to Wisconsin on his Instagram Live. This is a huge verbal pledge for Fickell, as Latimer, the younger brother of current Badgers cornerback Geimere Latimer, has picked up 47 total offers this cycle:
4-star running back Amari Latimer commits to Wisconsin and Luke Fickell
Talk about some epic news to arrive in the middle of your weekend. Fickell has to be smiling from ear to ear right now, as this truly is a monster recruiting win for him and his staff. Throughout his recruitment, the younger Latimer picked up tenders from Georgia Tech, Arizona, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Georgia and many others.
In the end, though, the 6-0, 215-pounder out of Sandy Creek High in Tyrone, Ga. knew in his heart that he wanted to play in the Big Ten and to do so with his big bro. According to the 247Sports Composite, the new Badgers pledge is ranked the No. 17 RB in the country and No. 288 prospect overall for his class.
This really is an exciting get and it gives Fickell 15 known verbals for the 2026 haul. Earlier in the week, 4-star wide receiver Jayden Petit also committed to Wisconsin. The 6-4, 195-pounder is the No. 30 WR in the country and he had 32 offers to his name.
Petit had additional rides from Oklahoma, North Carolina, Missouri and many others. Just like Amari Latimer, though, Petit knew that playing for Fickell and a historic program like Wisconsin was simply too much to pass up on. It's been an unreal week for Fickell recruiting wise and fans are pretty dang fired up right now.