Luke Fickell is off to a hot start with another pickup from the transfer portal

Wisconsin is already grabbing players out of the portal in an intensive effort to improve the roster ahead of next season. Luke Fickell added the No. 1 defensive line player in the portal the other day, and now has added a top JUCO linebacker who's from Wisconsin, Taylor Schaefer, out of Iowa Central Community College.

Schaefer could be considered an in-state pickup, as Schaefer played football at Southern Door High School in Brussels, Wisconsin. He went the junior college route and emerged as a top 20 JUCO prospect and the No. 2 JUCO linebacker according to 24/7 Sports.

Taylor Schaefer the No. 2 JUCO linebacker has committed to Wisconsin

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Schaefer will have two years remaining to play for Wisconsin if the courts continue to count junior college seasons towards eligibility; that's continuing to be an ongoing battle vs. the NCAA. Either way, he's played two years at Iowa Central and had 146 total tackles with a whopping 97 this season. He also has 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks in his two years in junior college.

He was being heavily recruited out of Iowa Central and had offers from Arkansas, Iowa State, Kentucky, and Minnesota. He decided to stay home and play for his home-state team, the Wisconsin Badgers.

According to an article by Allen Trieu of 24/7 Sports, Schaefer will play MIKE linebacker for the Badgers, less rushing the passer (though occasionally), and will be anchoring the middle of the defense and helping the calls be translated to the entire defense.

He will be integral to plugging the running lanes and helping with those defensive assignments. He may earn the starting spot, or it could be that he is depth at the position. There will be plenty of competition at the spot going into next season, but Schaefer adds experience and veteran leadership at the position.