Inked for the Wisconsin Badgers: Four-star Defensive Back Amare Snowden

With the early signing period for high school football players beginning on Dec. 21, BadgerBlitz.com dives into a closer look at the commits who have signed with the Wisconsin Badgers.

Let's take a look at Roseville (Mich.) High defensive back Amare Snowden, who officially committed to Wisconsin on the first day of the early signing period.

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The 13th commitment in Wisconsin’s 2023 class, Snowden is a four-star prospect by Rivals.com. He is also rated the No.30 cornerback in the country, the No.5 prospect in the state of Michigan, and the No.236 player in the country.

Snowden committed to the Badgers over a top list that included Cincinnati, Colorado, Howard, and West Virginia. Snowden had over 40 scholarship offers during his recruitment, including Arkansas, Iowa, Notre Dame, and Penn State. He was committed to Cincinnati from June 2022 to November.

Snowden has been on the recruiting radar of major schools for several years, picking up multiple Power Five offers in the summer before his junior season and crisscrossing the Midwest for campus visits. It was a painstaking process for Snowden, who wanted to be sure he researched every school that offered him, no matter the size or the level of football.

"College football is college football at the end of the day," Snowden told Rivals in November 2021. “I never want to be like, oh I got Notre Dame, Penn State, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Cincinnati. They are all big-time schools, but I'm never going to forget about Central Michigan who were one of my first, Liberty, Bowling Green, or Morgan State. Even the schools that aren't as big as them. I just want to show everybody the same love because at the end of the day it is all about the connections. It is about who you know in the long run. God forbid if football doesn't work out, maybe they offer you a coaching spot on their staff. You never know. They give love to you and you need to give love to them. I always think about that."

Wisconsin and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard entered the picture with a scholarship in January 2022, envisioning Snowden as a player cut from a similar cloth as former UW safety (and Detroit native) Scott Nelson. Snowden called his relationship with Leonhard “spectacular” and added he had a tight bond with current UW freshman linebacker Aidan Vaughan from playing 7-on-7 together. Snowden visited UW, but the Badgers couldn’t offer him the opportunity to play baseball in college, a goal of his early in the process.

“Seeing Deion and Bo do it (play both sports), it inspired me to do it,” Snowden said.

His relationship with and the coaching acumen of Leonhard was the reason UW made his top six in May 2022, joining Cincinnati, Howard, Iowa, Kentucky, and Penn State, but Snowden seeing how the Bearcats staff developed Sauce Gardner (a Detroit native) into the fourth pick in the NFL Draft.

“Seeing what they did with guys like Sauce, that’s big,” he said.

Seeing Luke Fickell leave for Wisconsin was hard on Snowden. He admitted to grieving over de-committing because of his attachment to the Cincinnati campus, even alluding to some betrayal from Fickell who “looked me in my eyes and said that he wasn't leaving for a very long time.”

But while he was initially heartbroken, Snowden said Fickell and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel repaired the relationship, hosted him on an official visit earlier this month, and vehemently expressed how badly they wanted to coach him. That was enough to convince Snowden.

“I think it’s his knowledge of the game (that stands out the most). He’s a student of the game. That’s definitely something that’s grown over the years. Then, his length. Playing at DB, it’s his length to be able to cover ground.

“He studies so much, watching film, trying to critique his craft. On and off the field, just him studying, he’s definitely grown into a hard worker. He wants to get stronger and faster all the time. He’s maturing, developing into a kid who wants to get better mentally, as well as physically.”

-High School coach (and father) Vernard Snowden

Earning Defensive Back MVP at the Rivals Camp Series stop in Indianapolis in April requires a complete set of skills, especially when that player is reportedly wearing the wrong shoes. Snowden delivers on his ability as a defensive back with his size, length, and recovery speed, able to get the better of slot receivers, bigger pass catches, or bulky tight ends. Those three traits allow him to cover a ton of ground and make a lot of plays. His film shows an athlete who can either be a lockdown cornerback or a roving free safety to snare passes. He has the timing, backpedaling, and instincts that could snare a lot of interceptions at either position.

Snowden is more than a four-star defensive back, as he is a standout baseball player. During one of his high school games, Snowden threw a 13-strikeout no-hitter to go along with a single, double, and a homer in front of MLB scouts. It’s a shame UW doesn’t have a baseball team because seeing his 88 mph fastball, 70 mph slider, and his agility would put some butts in the seats.

From reading all the reports and listening to his media interviews, Snowden comes off as a great culture player and a presence in the locker room. Considering Fickell is trying to build relationships in a semi-fractured locker room, this is a huge commitment for the Badgers in this class.

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