A Wisconsin football newcomer getting way-too-early love for All-American award

No one would accuse the Wisconsin Badgers of winning the transfer portal, but they did do an effective job of upgrading it where they needed help. However, there is one position where you could argue they won the transfer portal, and that was at the tight end. They added one of the best players at the position, Tanner Koziol, from Ball State. He's already on lists such as Ari Wasserman's "Way-Too-Early 2025 College Football All-American Team."

Tanner Koziol is an early contender for All-American at the Tight End position

For some who are yet to be familiar with Koziol, this can feel like it came out of left field. However, he truly has been receiving accolades and praise all off-season. College Sports Network ranked him in their top 100 returning players. PFF has him as the highest-graded returning TE at 87.8. He was elite at Ball State and Luke Fickell and his staff are hoping that dominance continues in red and white.

In 2025, Koziol will be using his fourth season of eligibility and is coming off a season at Ball State, where he caught 94 passes for 839 with eight touchdowns. His stats are exceptional from the position, but he can also block and get to the second level on run plays.

Jeff Grimes, the new offensive coordinator for the Wisconsin Badgers, seemingly hand-picked Koziol to be part of the new scheme as the Badgers look to find a winning season in 2025. They had their first losing season in 2024 since 2001. Grimes is hoping a style that actually harkens back to the past for UW will turn things around. Koziol is a big piece of that future.

Koziol is already receiving such accolades and praise, which is exciting for Wisconsin fans who would love to see Fickell turn this program back into a winning one.