Wisconsin Football Recruit Makes Shocking Flip to Big Ten Rival

Torin Pettaway, a promising in-state defensive recruit, has made a significant decision regarding his college football career. The Middleton defensive end has officially de-committed from Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers football program’s 2025 recruiting class.

“After a lot of thought and considering I have decided to reopen my commitment and de-commit from the university of Wisconsin,” Pettaway wrote on social media.

Then, in a surprising turn of events, Badgers fans learned that PJ Fleck does some negative recruiting of his own because Pettaway announced his commitment to the Wisconsin football team’s arch-rival, Minnesota, on Twitter just minutes later on Thursday night.

100% committed @Coach_Fleck @Coach_DeBo46 pic.twitter.com/zZjeD0iXdb

— Torin Pettaway (@torinjp) March 29, 2024

This change of heart has resulted in Wisconsin football losing Pettaway’s commitment, bringing their total verbal commitments for the 2025 class down to eight. Despite only starting his football journey last fall, Pettaway has garnered considerable attention from Power 4 recruiters due to his raw talent and unrealized upside.

He holds offers from several prominent Big Ten programs, including Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rutgers, USC, and Washington. Given this flip, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few more offers came rolling in from schools wanting to see how solid his commitment really is.

247Sports ranks Pettaway, a three-star, as the No. 59 defensive lineman in the 2025 recruiting class and the No. 8 player in Wisconsin.

Standing at an imposing 6-foot-5 and weighing 265 pounds, Pettaway notched 47 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble as a junior, earning him first-team all-conference honors.

Among the Wisconsin football team’s 2025 verbal commits are in-state talents such as linebacker Cooper Catalano from Germantown and offensive tackle Michael Roeske from Wautoma. As per 247Sports, the Badgers’ recruiting class currently stands at No. 11 in the nation.

Given the aging profile of Wisconsin’s defensive line room, position coach EJ Whitlow and the Badgers aim to bring in a sizeable class in 2025.

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