Luke Fickell Suffers Major Recruiting Loss Ahead of Wisco...

By Rowan Fisher-ShottonShareNewsweek is a Trust Project member

In a late-season swing that reshapes a fragile Wisconsin recruiting picture, four-star wide receiver Jayden Petit announced Thursday that he’s committed to Oklahoma after formally opening his recruitment by de-committing from Wisconsin the day prior.

Petit, a 6-4, 220-pound prospect from Naples, Florida, was one of the highest-rated skill-position pledges in Wisconsin’s 2026 class; 247Sports listed him as the No. 13-ranked wide receiver in the country and No. 93 overall prospect.

Petit is coming off a dominant senior season in which he totalled 69 receptions into 1,544 yards and 23 touchdowns averaging over 22 yards per catch.

He originally committed to the Badgers on June 26 and now, just a few short months later, has left a gaping hole in Fickell’s ’26 class.

“The chances you take, the people you meet, the faith that you have that’s what’s going to define you," Petit said in choosing Oklahoma.

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Wisconsin’s class — already middling by national standards — loses its top perimeter prospect and drops further down industry boards.

The 247Sports composite currently lists the Badgers’ 2026 class 71st overall in the nation, with 13 commits and just one four-star recruit remaining (RB Amari Latimer).

Losing Petit is especially significant given that offensive skill talent has been scarce for the Badgers.

Wisconsin football head coach Luke Fickell.

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Fickell arrived in Madison as a high-profile hire after building Cincinnati into a Group-of-Five national contender and a College Football Playoff participant, being named Wisconsin’s head coach on Nov. 27, 2022.

His Cincinnati run and Ohio State pedigree were selling points for the program’s reset, but Wisconsin has underperformed immensely the last two college football seasons.

After going 5-7 in 2024, the Badgers currently sit just 4-7 overall and 2-6 in Big Ten play entering Rivalry Week, with a late-season upset over a ranked Illinois team a recent bright spot but not enough to erase a disappointing body of work.

Despite some recent calls to move on, athletic department leadership has said it will retain Fickell into 2026 while signaling willingness to invest in the program.

Saturday's rivalry game at Minneosta represents an opportunity for Fickell to regain some momentum and keep the upcoming recruiting class from slipping further away.

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