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It was December 2, 2025. The next day was early National Signing Day for high school seniors looking to play college football. Running back Amari Latimer, a 4-star out of Fairburn, Georgia, had a big decision to make. He was the 21st-ranked running back in the entire class, and many teams and fans were anxiously waiting.
Latimer had been committed to Wisconsin since June of that year. But he wasn't certain about the Badgers. Latimer felt pressure to play for the Badgers because that's where his brother, Geimere Latimer Jr., was. It seemed like the easy choice, but not for Amari.
The night before his commitment, Geimere spoke with Amari about his decision. Brother to brother.
"Amari has always really looked up to his brother," Amari and Geimere's father, Geimere Sr., said. "Amari's life is God, his brother and then the rest of us somewhere down there."
The two boys are two years and 10 months apart in age. They were inseparable from a young age. Amari and Geimere Jr. played multiple sports growing up: basketball, baseball and of course, football. Their neighborhood became a second field or court for the two boys to play. They'd run 1-on-1s in basketball, throw the ball around, or run around with the football.
The two were ultra competitive. Usually, someone would end up with a busted lip, broken tooth or ribs. Amari would come in crying after Geimere Jr. beat him pretty badly, because when they were younger, Geimere Jr. was bigger than Amari and more experienced.
Kwanza Latimer, the boys' mother, would tell Geimere Jr. to stop, but Geimere Sr. would tell them to stop crying and go back out there and keep competing.
"Are you gonna keep crying, or are you gonna play.?" Geimere Jr. taunted Amari. "You gonna keep crying, or you gonna play?"
The boys went back out and went at it. Even a couple of years younger, Amari wasn't backing down from a challenge.
There was a time when the two boys got into an argument about who could hit harder. The boys went to their father to be the deciding factor.
"Look, both of ya'll hit hard in ya'll respective age groups," Gemeire Sr. said to them. "But, Amari, if you try and line it up against G right now, he probably going to get the best of you."
"No way, no way," Amari said.
Amari put on his pads and so did Geimere. The two went outside with their pads on and stood 20 yards from each other. They ran full speed at each other with pads to see who truly hit harder.
"Next thing I know, they come in, G got a cracked tooth, and Amari has a hole in his side," Geimere Sr. said.
There was another instance where the two got new electric scooters. They were riding around the street. Geimere Sr. was out there watching, making sure there were no cars coming. The next minute, he looked at the boys, and one was lined up at one end of the street and the other at the other end. They were riding full speed on a course for collision.
"They're about to go ahead and hit each other head-on," Geimere Sr. said. "I'm like who's going to turn, who's going to turn. Oh my god, they ran right into each other. Neither one of them wanted to be the one to turn off and tap out first. They didn't plan it. It's just unspoken, 'Hell, nah, I'm not about to turn off. You turn off.' These fools ran into each other. That was their competitiveness towards each other. They were insane. You can't challenge my kids because they are psychotically competitive."
The at-home competitions made the boys mentally tough, so they were prepared to take it on the field and court. Both excelled almost instantly.
Geimere Jr. was on the travel baseball team and on the football field, led his team to the 2022 GHSA AAA State Championship playing quarterback and defense. Geimere Jr. went off to college and committed to Jacksonville State.
Amari was left behind, but was already bigger than Geimere Jr. going into ninth grade. Amari's two sports were basketball and football, and he was equally good at both. Amari was a five-time state champion between basketball and football, and if he didn't enroll in college early, he might've added another championship.
Football was where Amari really found success at running back and linebacker. He is the Sandy Creek High School all-time leading rusher with 5,595 yards and 78 touchdowns, and holds the single-game record in rushing touchdowns (7) and rushing yards (287).
"In football it became apparent real early this kid was gonna be a kid that was going to blow up eventually," Geimere Jr. said.
In 2025, Amari was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Georgia, which is given to the best player in the state. With all the accolades and state titles, Amari started to be heavily recruited. He had almost every offer you could think of from Tennessee, Ohio State, Miami and Wisconsin, where he eventually committed.
While Amari was in high school, Geimere Jr. transferred to Wisconsin for the 2025 season. Geimere's coach at Jacksonville State, Rich Rodriguez, took the job at West Virginia, so it was an opportunity for Geimere to get a fresh start.
But the time finally came for Amari to pick his school. It was the night before the early National Signing Day. His mom, dad and brother all expected Amari to sign with Wisconsin, where his brother was. Amari wasn't sure.
The Badgers finished 4-8 and won just two conference games. Wisconsin's running back coach, Devon Spalding, wasn't there, most of the running backs were getting hurt and there were changes to the offensive line. All of the commits Amari was excited to play alongside were telling Amari that they changed their minds and were going somewhere else.
Then, his brother, who'd been with him in the backyard, on the court and on the field, knew something was up. He pulled his younger brother aside.
"Amari, listen," Geimere Jr. said. "We gonna be brothers and we gonna rock till the wheels fall off. It doesn't matter where we go to school. Our relationship and our bond is inseparable. You got to do what you feel is best for you, even if it doesn't include me."
The next afternoon, it was time for Amari to make his decision. And, he signed with West Virginia over Wisconsin and other Power Four schools.
Amari was familiar with the staff from watching Geimere Jr. at Jacksonville State, and spending extra time with the staff when the family would go and watch practices. He had a strong relationship with running backs coach Larry Porter, too. He felt it was the best spot for him.
Amari was one of three top recruits for the Mountaineers, and completed three 4-star flips, making for a big 2026 recruiting class. He's listed at 5-10, 230 pounds, and should be the lead back of the future once veteran Cam Cook moves on.
Amari is a power back with his size, but that doesn't mean he isn't nimble, and he's a threat out of the backfield catching the ball.
"Amari is as elusive as he is powerful," Geimere Sr. said. "He really has that knack of making people miss in tight spaces. He changes direction at an elite level for somebody of that stature. You get into the open field with a second-level, third-level defender, they don't know what the hell to do."
Amari wasn't the only Latimer brother to pick the Mountaineers. After Amari flipped schools, he received some backlash from upset Wisconsin fans. Geimere Jr. didn't like the way Amari was treated, creating unsettlement. Geimere Jr. had a productive season, playing in 12 games and starting in three.
"Even though G didn’t necessarily want to leave, he felt like he had to," Geimere Sr. said.
Geimere Jr. entered the transfer portal, not knowing what he was going to get. Within 48 hours of entering the portal, WVU defensive coordinator Zac Alley called to recruit him. The two had a long conversation.
Alley was always someone Geimere Jr. thought highly of, even if he wasn't at Jacksonville State long. The two have a lot of similarities. Both are football geeks and created a connection while on the Gamecocks. WVU was the first place Geimere Jr. visited and knew this is where he had to go.
"Maybe this is what God’s plan was: it was for Amari and I to be together in West Virginia," Geimere Jr. said.
In the span of two months, the Mountaineers secured both Latimer brothers. Both who should have a big impact on this year's team and teams to come. Geimere will have a more immediate impact, being older and more experienced. Rodriguez said Amari's taken reps with the first team, so he won't start, but he'll definitely play.
Amari and Geimere Jr. arrived in Morgantown ahead of spring practice, getting an early jump on their new home and the playbook. Amari is adjusting to the next level, and taking college classes, so it's good that his older brother is there to help.
The two watch film together and still hang out, while getting to know their position groups at the same time. It's kind of like a second home.
"Having [Geimere Jr.] there, just balancing life, balancing classes, balancing diet, balancing the football aspect of it, not only physically, but also mentally, because it's a huge mental aspect to showing up every day and being the best version of yourself you could possibly be," Geimere Sr. said. "I couldn't dream of a better situation for Amari than that. Having him be there for his brother is unbelievably helpful."
It's also an excellent situation for the rest of the family. Now, instead of deciding whether to turn on a Wisconsin game or head north to Morgantown for the Mountaineers games, the parents just have to turn on one channel and wear one color.
They even get to wear the same jersey because, at least as of fall, Amari and Geimere both wear No. 1.
"The best way I could describe that is it's a parents’ dream," Geimere Sr. said. "Just having opportunities to have two sons playing Power football is a blessing to start with, which doesn’t ever need to be taken for granted. That’s already a blessing. But to get an opportunity for the same coaching staff to invest in both of your kids, I couldn’t have dreamed up a better scenario."
But none of it would've been possible without Amari getting the go-ahead from his brother Geimere. After just the spring, the two have agreed; they've made the right decision.
"They both thoroughly enjoyed it," Geimere Sr. said. "Of course, they’re looking at it in two different perspectives: one offense, one defense. One is considered more of a senior leader, and the other one a freshman, playing behind probably one of the best players in college football. So their perspectives were very different, but in both situations they thoroughly enjoyed it."