Wisconsin football recruit Samuel Lateju, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound, outside linebacker/edge rusher, is a native of Nigeria, who came to the United States to attending a boarding school in New Jersey.
MADISON – Samuel Lateju stepped off the plane for his Junior Day visit with the Wisconsin football program and immediately could see he was in Badger Country.
The UW logos and merchandise inside the terminal at the Dane County Airport seemed everywhere. People wore Badgers gear.
Then 6-foot-5, 230-pound outside linebacker from The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey hopped in a car and rode to campus. Along the way UW continued to make an imprint on the city impressed him.
And when he got to campus … well, you get the idea.
“I was like people in Madison are really into just their state. …. I saw so many people supporting their team,” he said.
The start to Lateju’s first trip to Madison set the tone for his visit, vibes the Badgers coaching staff kept going as they showed him the football facilities and met with him one-on-one. Little did they know that by the end of that day, he was ready to commit.
He sat on that feeling for a few weeks to be sure and announced his commitment to the Badgers March 4. He was the eighth known commitment in a 2025 class that now has nine known recruits.
Of the group, Lateju has easily come the farthest. His journey started in Nigeria almost three years ago.
“Obviouly (outside linebackers) coach (Matt) Mitchell feels he has all the things and he can teach him and develop him even farther,” Lawrenceville coach Napoleon Sykes said. “But I think what Coach Mitchell really loved about Sam was that he’s from Nigeria, he’s come here on his own, he’s navitaging this stuff on his own. He’s a super-mature kid. He’s faced adversity. There’s a lot to like about Sam as a person.”
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nigeria-jersey-wisconsin-football-recruit-120143562.html
Author : Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-03-20 12:01:43
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