USC Watches Big Ten Rival Add 4-Star Power Back originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
USC continues to hold the top spot in the national recruiting rankings. One Big Ten rival, however, added a four-star power back who was on the Trojans’ radar early on the trail.
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Amari Latimer chose Wisconsin in shutting down his college football recruiting process Saturday. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Latimer held a litany of scholarship offers. Including the Trojans, who offered back on Feb. 6. Ironically, Latimer’s offer came before USC skyrocketed to the top of the rankings with an aggressive February blitz.
The native of Tyrone, Georgia pulled in approximately 50 scholarship offers. The Sandy Creek High star reeled in one other Californian offer, but from Atlantic Coast Conference representative Cal.
So how did Wisconsin win over the power back compared to USC, Cal, Big Ten champion Oregon and the long list of power conference suitors for him? His father explained it to Evan Flood of 247Sports.
Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans running back Woody Marks (4) runs the ball against Utah State Aggies linebacker Clyde Washington (42) during the second quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Jonathan Hui-Imagn ImagesJonathan Hui-Imagn Images
“Their relationship is one that Amari sees as almost like a big brother, an authoritative type big brother,” said Giimere Sr. “Amari values their conversations.”
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He’s verbal commit No. 15 for Luke Fickell and the Badgers coaching staff. The Badgers even offered him before USC and Lincoln Riley made their pursuit — as Wisconsin got on Latimer during the summer of 2023.
Latimer became drawn to the pipeline of backs who have strolled through Madison. Names like Jonathan Taylor and Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne come to mind. He’s also going to join his older brother Geimere Latimer on the roster, as the cornerback came via the transfer portal.
But now USC has a future 220-pound locomotive to game plan for in Big Ten play. The Trojans visit Camp Randall in the 2026 season.
Related: USC’s New College Football Playoff Odds Revealed
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.