2026 Wisconsin commit Donovan Dunmore is a three star cornerback and state championship-qualifying track athlete from Buchanan High School in Clovis, California.
He recently discussed his senior season and commitment to Wisconsin ahead of early National Signing Day, which was on Dec. 3.
Dunmore is 6-foot tall and about 185 pounds. As one expects out of a member of a state championship-qualifying track team, Dunmore has elite speed, running a 10.51 second 100 meter dash, only 0.5 seconds slower than the California state meet record.
So, why does a football player from California choose Wisconsin?
“It really started with the staff, especially Pat Lambert.” Dunmore said. “He was always texting me, 24/7, the months before.”
.sno-6944ba9fec897 {
background-color: #ffffff;border: 5px solid #888888;box-shadow: -1px 0 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 12%), 1px 0 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 12%), 0 1px 1px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 24%);margin: 30px auto; float: none;}
.sno-6944ba9fec897 h5 {
color: #000000;
}
Dunmore also really liked the Badger coaching staff and the city of Madison as a whole.
“When I got there [to Madison], you know, Coach [Paul] Haynes, he seemed like the type of guy I’d want to be coached by, the right kind of man.” Dunmore said. “And then it was just pretty much just the city, I loved it there.”
This extended beyond just cornerbacks coach Haynes. Dunmore also enjoyed getting to talk with head coach Luke Fickell — who Dunmore described as much larger in person than he expected.
Fickell, a former defensive lineman at Ohio State, stands at a towering 6-foot-4-inches, weighing 230 pounds during his playing career.
“He [Fickell] seems confident in what he does, and he knows what he’s doing,” Dunmore said
Similar to fellow cornerback recruit Carsen Eloms, Dunmore felt the love from the current team as well.
“The first day I got there [to Madison], I went and had dinner with the team, and they were pretty inclusive, and that’s how I see me and my friends,” Dunmore said. “We don’t really separate from anybody. We hang out with anybody and everybody.”
Senior season always serves as a great opportunity to improve, and Dunmore did just that.
“Senior season was the best season I’ve had so far,” Dunmore said. “Where I felt my game grew the most, definitely coming down and breaking on shorter routes. That’s something I feel like I’ve struggled on the past two years.”
Dunmore says he’ll bring physicality to the Badgers. Though, this physicality will have to wait until the summer, as Dunmore will not be enrolling with the Badgers in the spring.
.sno-6944ba9fee2b8 {
background-color: #ffffff;border: 5px solid #888888;box-shadow: -1px 0 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 12%), 1px 0 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 12%), 0 1px 1px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 24%);margin: 30px auto; float: none;}
.sno-6944ba9fee2b8 h5 {
color: #000000;
}
Dunmore, who ran many different coverages during his high school career, liked some of the schemes Wisconsin runs, also taking the chance to learn them while in Madison.
“I also had my high school coach with me, so it was easy to see what I would be doing through him, because he also helped explain it to me.” Dunmore said.
Dunmore doesn’t expect to play early, projecting himself as at least a third stringer as a true freshman. So, it’ll be interesting to note whether or not he takes a redshirt his first year in the name of development.
Either way, Dunmore is completely locked in to the Badgers, saying that he had shut down his recruitment Nov. 19.