Before Luke Fickell went to take the podium for Big Ten Media Days, he spoke with the media about a variety of topics. There was a lot of positivity and excitement for the upcoming season, but there was one piece of bad news Fickell had to pass along. That freshman signee Drayden Pavey did not enroll and will now not be joining the team at all.
Fickell did not get into the reasoning, he only mentioned that it was for "personal reasons."
Fickell said FR DL Drayden Pavey did not enroll and will not be with the team. Was deemed for personal reasons.
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) July 23, 2025
DL Drayden Pavey will now not be joining the Badgers in 2025 due to personal reasons
It's unknown exactly why Pavey will not be joining the Badgers, and even Fickell said he wasn't entirely sure either. Fickell did say, “It’s a shame with all the things going on in college football, we forget there’s still a human side of things. Those kids, they lose their way as well.”
Pavey was a 3-star defensive line recruit out of Cincinnati, Ohio. He originally committed to play for the Purdue Boilermakers but decommitted and flipped to the Wisconsin Badgers. He seemed eager to play for the Badgers and was excited to join the squad. It's unknown what his plans are now, nor if he is even going to be eligible to play college football this year. Without knowing the specifics, it's hard to speculate.
24/7 Sports mentioned Pavey as a player who had a chance to bring valuable minutes even as a freshman at Wisconsin. As a senior in high school, he recorded 87 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and 24 tackles for loss. He was named the top defensive player in the state of Ohio in the D-4 division.
He's an impressive player, but it's unfortunate that something in his life has gotten in the way of him sticking to his original plan. Hopefully, life will return to normal and he can play college football as soon as possible. Like Luke Fickell said, "There's a human side of things."