Torin Pettaway, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound in-state defensive lineman from Middleton High School, picked up an offer from Wisconsin in early February during a junior day visit.
On Tuesday, the three-star prospect made a return trip to campus, a stop that eventually led to his commitment on Thursday morning.
"Tuesday was when I was mentally ready to commit," Pettaway told BadgerBlitz.com. "The biggest thing for me was meeting Coach E.J. (Whitlow) and seeing how he was. He helped me make my decision this morning because I was comfortable playing with him.
"I called Coach Pat (Lambert) today and he was actually in a defensive meeting, so the entire staff was there. I told Pat, 'it's time to jump in the lake' and he started going crazy."
Pettaway, who had 47 total tackles, four sacks and two interceptions this past fall, chose Wisconsin over offers from Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rutgers, USC and Washington.
"It's a 10-minute drive for me, and that definitely played a role in my decision," Pettaway said. "When I first stepped on campus back in February, I felt the love and the support from the entire staff. They were all very welcoming and they all had a lot of energy. You can tell they have passion for what they do. So the love and the support showed me it was right for me.
"The guys on the team go to fight for each other every day and it's something that I want to be a part of. They are working hard to get the program to a different level, and they need my help to get there."
Pettaway, who has just one year of football experience under his belt, is the first big recruiting addition for Whitlow, who replaced Greg Scruggs on staff last month.
"Coach E.J. likes to emphasize a mentality called alpha dogs," Pettaway said. "That means being the best at everything you do no matter what it is. You want to be the best and you want to be first, and I agree with everything that he was saying.
"I love his mentality and we have a lot of the same morals. A lot of the stuff that is important to him reminds me of my mom. Coach E.J. is excited about me and he thinks that I have a lot of potential to be great. I just need to be developed and he thinks he's the guy to do it. We are going to do something special in this class."
Pledge No. 9 for Wisconsin, Pettaway is also the third in-state commit in the junior cycle, along with linebacker Cooper Catalano (Germantown) and offensive tackle Michael Roeske (Wautoma).
"It's definitely a good feeling to find a place that will develop me right and a place that I can officially call home," Pettaway said. "I will just keep working to get ready for my senior season, but it's nice to get done with recruiting."
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