The Belichick factor wasn’t enough to bring class of 2026 wide receiver Jayden Petit to Chapel Hill.

UNC’s offer was one of 32 made to Petit, who had top interest from Oklahoma and Missouri, but ultimately chose Wisconsin Thursday evening.

The 6-foot-4-inch rising senior is a four-star recruit out of First Baptist Academy in Naples, Florida. Ranked No. 206 nationally, No. 33 among wide receivers and No. 29 in his home state, per On3, Petit was a highly-coveted grab for top programs.  

The wide receiver is just the 14th hard commit in the Badgers’ 2026 recruiting class and the first after two weeks of silence. Wisconsin’s recent lawsuit against the University of Miami has some Badger fans cracking jokes about Petit’s home state.

Others online are offering Petit warnings:

Careful, they might hold u hostage when u transfer

— Andrew Hawley (@AndrewH38024738) June 26, 2025

I was told Wisconsin wouldn’t get anymore recruits from south Florida

— nathandodge (@Badgerfan26) June 26, 2025

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Legal drama aside, Petit is a smart move for the Badgers. He’s their third wide receiver in the 2026 class but definitely the strongest compared to Tayshon Bardo (Penn High School, Indiana) and Zion Legree (Destin High School, Florida).  

The Badgers are on a bit of a downward trajectory. In 2022 and 2023 Wisconsin finished 7-6 overall, and went 9-4 in 2021. But they went 5-7 (3-6 Big Ten) last season, only beating the three weakest conference opponents Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern. 

A win like securing Petit’s commitment suggests things could be looking up in the Badgers’ future.