MORGANTOWN — Geimere and Amari Latimer played a lot of 1-on-1 basketball growing up. Geimere, who is now a senior at West Virginia, would always beat Amari, who is now a freshman, because he’s four years older. But, as Amari grew up, he got bigger, and Geimere stopped growing. The games became a lot more competitive.

“He started beating me,” Geimere said.

Now, four years later since Geimere started playing college ball, the Latimer brothers have reunited on the Mountaineers. They are still having the 1-on-1s with Amari at running back and Geimere in the secondary at nickel and safety.

But it almost didn’t work out that way. Geimere was at Wisconsin the year prior, after transferring over from Jacksonville State, and Amari was committed to Wisconsin. But, Amari flipped his commitment to WVU during the early National Signing Day, and then, Geimere transferred to WVU.

Geimere left the Badgers because he felt like his talent wasn’t being utilized, and Rich Rodriguez and defensive coordinator Zac Alley provided Geimere the opportunity to play safety and nickel. He almost thought about reuniting with Alley when Alley came over from Oklahoma as WVU’s DC before last season, but he chose the Badgers.

Once Amari picked the Mountaineers in the winter, it was kind of hard to go somewhere else.

“Once I hit the portal, I couldn’t turn down that opportunity,” Geimere said. “Back when I was at Jacksonville State, I played corner and some safety, some nickel. But being able to use my talents at different positions would be the best thing for me, going into my last season. The cherry on top was being able to be back with my brother.”

Geimere and Amari have played together before, in high school, and in the backyard, but this was the first time the two have played at the college level. Geimere is a veteran at this point, playing at Jacksonville State for two years and then Wisconsin for a season, so he knows how to act. Amari is a true freshman and should still be in high school, since he enrolled early.

Being a big brother, Geimere is making sure Amari knows how to be a college athlete.

“I try to find a happy medium,” Geimere said. “I try to guide him. Just show him the way of how to be not only an athlete but a student. Being able to balance both worlds. Not only that, but being a film junkie and just prioritizing things. I try to stay on him about that a lot. I don’t try to overwhelm him.”

The two brothers spend a lot of time together, and even watch film together. The two play different positions, but both can point things out for the other, especially since Geimere is playing in the box now in the secondary. Amari will play running back for WVU. He played some linebacker in high school, so he’s helping out Geimere.

“I pick his brain sometimes on certain things he can do better,” Geimere said. “He picks my brain about it. He’s pretty intelligent beyond his years about football in general. He always knows what to tell me. He’s played linebacker, so he’s played in the box as well. He can teach me some things.”

With the Mountaineers, Geimere is learning how to play in the box, meaning having to tackle and shed blocks a lot more than a normal defensive back. It took him a minute, but he’s learning to play with his hands to keep the tight ends and linemen off his body.

Even at a smaller 5-foot-10, 191-pound frame, Geimere thinks he shouldn’t have an issue.

“I feel like I can play anywhere,” Geimere said. “Being able to utilize my speed and strength, just a combination of both. I feel like at nickel you can use all of those skillsets. Being able to move around, I feel like I’m able to do that. I feel like, at times, I felt like I wasn’t being used in the necessary positions at Wisconsin.”

Whether Amari recruited Geimere or Geimere had some family tampering to recruit Amari, both should have huge roles in 2026, even if Amari is a freshman. Amari’s role might be a bit smaller because there’s a veteran back ahead of him, Cam Cook, but Geimere is fighting for a starting role.

He knows he’ll make an impact to help WVU compete in 2026, whereas his brother’s impact will be felt more in the coming years.

“Being physical is an asset I can bring to any team,” Geimere said. “I felt like that just adds to my value being able to do that, along with being able to play in space.”