With the transfer portal closing last night, there can no longer be any new players declaring for the portal (outside of a few exceptions). Luke Fickell and the Badgers lost a huge number of players, but have also worked to bring in some good ones as well. While the roster still could change as more players commit, let's grade how the Wisconsin fared overall in the portal this month.
Wisconsin lost 24 scholarship players to the portal, including receiver Will Pauling, every quarterback, and virtually the entire defensive back room. On paper, that's pretty alarming and almost too difficult to overcome, but in reality the Badgers may not be in as much trouble as it initially appears.
Losing quarterbacks Braedyn Locke and Mabrey Mettauer was mostly expected, as the duo were a big part of the Phil Longo system. But after the offensive coordinators' firing, it became apparent they wouldn't be a part of Wisconsin's future. Tyler Van Dyke on the other hand was more of a surprise, although his injury really clouded his future for the Badgers or any other team for that matter. Ultimately, despite losing the entire room, there wasn't anyone who felt irreplaceable.
While losing nearly the entire defensive back room seems unfathomable, the Badgers ended up losing almost everyone. The odd Xavier Lucas situation adds another level to the mess, and outside of Preston Zachman and hopefully Ricardo Hallman, the group will be mostly all new in 2025. The silver lining is that most of the departures from the group were guys who still had a long way to go to see the field.
Overall, Wisconsin lost a lot of talent, but it certainly could have been worse. The 2025 roster will look very different, but is that really such a bad thing?
As of now, Wisconsin has the 8th ranked transfer in class according to 247Sports. They've done a nice job bringing in a pair of new quarterbacks and several key members on offense and defense.
Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. looks to be the new starter in Madison, but don't sleep on Danny O'Neil either, who enjoyed a nice freshman season at San Diego State. The Badgers also brought in elite tight end Tanner Koziol, who will be the most dominant tight end the team has had in years. Cornerback Geimere Latimer from Jacksonville State could also slide in right away as a starter opposite Ricardo Hallman.
Wisconsin could still add to their class, but it's already shaping up to be a strong group of players including several starters. Luke Fickell has typically gone after FCS players who can make the step up to the Big Ten and this year was no different. Hopefully, he's found some diamonds in the rough.