The Wisconsin football program will be moving forward without one of the running backs it signed in the 2026 recruiting class.
Composite 3-star recruit Qwantavius Wiggins has been released from his National Letter of Intent and will no longer join the Badgers this summer, instead announcing his commitment to Georgia State.
“COMMITTED & SIGNED,” Wiggins wrote. “The city raised me. Now it’s time to represent it. 100% committed to Georgia State University!”
Qwantavius “Fatboy” Wiggins@QWiggins08
COMMITTED & SIGNED 🔵⚪️🏈
The city raised me. Now it’s time to represent it.
100% committed to Georgia State University!
Thank you @Enrique__Davis, @DellMcGee, and the entire staff for believing in me. Atlanta, let’s make history!
#NewAtlanta #BITN #BITN4Real #RBU #TheStateWay
5:35 PM · May 30, 2026 · 4.09K Views
3 Replies · 4 Reposts · 24 Likes
The development closes the door on a Wisconsin signee who never even reached the point of enrollment or integration into the program.
Wiggins originally committed to FIU before flipping to Wisconsin in November of 2025 after building a strong relationship with then-running backs coach Devon Spalding and a few other members of the Badgers coaching staff. At the time, Wisconsin viewed Wiggins as one of the more explosive running back prospects available late in the cycle.
And it wasn’t difficult to understand why.
Playing for Langston Hughes High School in Georgia, Wiggins rushed for 1,003 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior while sharing carries in a talented backfield that also featured 4-star Texas A&M signee Casyn Baker. Despite splitting carries, the senior tailback still averaged 9.0 yards per carry and also added six catches for 125 yards receiving.
The speed consistently stood out on film.
Wiggins possessed the ability to erase angles in the open field and create explosive plays whenever he touched the football, making him a somewhat different stylistic fit from several of the backs Wisconsin already had on the roster. That was something head coach Luke Fickell emphasized when the Badgers originally signed him back in December.
“He plays some really good ball,” Fickell said of Wiggins on National Signing Day.
“He plays at a really high level. Plays the best ball in Georgia. He can run now. He’s got speed. He’s a splash guy. I think he’s different than the guys we’ve got in the program.”
Ultimately, though, Wiggins never made it to campus.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back did not enroll at Wisconsin, and with Spalding departing the program earlier this year for Michigan State, the circumstances surrounding his recruitment changed considerably from when he initially signed with the Badgers.
Since then, Wisconsin’s running back room has undergone significant changes of its own.
Position coach Jayden Everett inherited a running back room that needed a facelift and responded by adding transfer portal options such as Abu Sama, Bryan Jackson, Nate Palmer, and, more recently, JUCO standout Julius Pope, while also retaining and building around junior Darrion Dupree, a player this staff identified and recruited out of high school.
For Wisconsin, the move — even if it was expected — means one less scholarship player in the 2026 class. For Wiggins, it provides an opportunity to remain closer to home and continue his career in Atlanta.
What was originally expected to be a two-running-back class featuring Wiggins and Amari Latimer, who flipped his commitment to West Virginia, will now end with neither prospect ever wearing the Motion W.
While situations like this remain uncommon, Wiggins’ departure serves as a reminder that even signed recruiting classes aren’t truly finalized until prospects arrive on campus and officially become part of the program.
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