This article is about expectations versus reality in the transfer portal. The players who came in to either solve a problem under Luke Fickell and failed to do so for whatever reason, or didn't live up to their expectations at all. This isn't about busts, for that's a loaded word that means something that isn't the point of the below. These players have disappointed based on their transfer portal expectations.
It's not disappointments all the way through the program or even recruits, it's only players who transferred into Wisconsin but didn't or haven't lived up to the billing. It's backward ranking, with the least disappointing at the top, to the absolute most disappointing in the No. 1 spot.
5. Tyreese Fearbry
Fearbry still has a chance to get off this list, with one season left to play. This 2026 campaign could be huge for Fearbry, and he could be the force that many expected when he came from Kentucky. However, so far, he's been most notable for a penalty before the game than for his actual play on the field.
4. Davis Heinzen
Heinzen may have been asked too much of him; he was a veteran with a lot of offensive line experience under his belt. He came in to be the starting left tackle and immediately got squashed, and Fickell had to turn to his underclassmen to fill the void. Heinzen clearly wasn't a Big Ten player, but he was billed as a starter, and this disappointment may be more on Fickell than anyone for putting Heinzen in a spot to fail.
3. Tackett Curtis
Curtis came in as a 4-star transfer from USC, and he was quickly passed by freshmen on the roster. It's not that he was terrible; it's that he didn't live up to the billing. He was expected to be one of the next great linebackers at Wisconsin; instead, he ended up being a rotational player at best. He then transferred again to UCF.
2. C.J. Williams
The disappointment of Williams may actually not be his fault. It may be the primary fault of the No. 1 player(s) on this list. However, it's hard not to include him. He came in as one of the most hyped up transfers in the Luke Fickell era and yet was barely relevant. He had 31 total receptions for 396 yards and two touchdowns. Williams was a 4-star transfer from USC, and yet, he couldn't get his footing with all the quarterback issues at Wisconsin.
He eventually transferred to Stanford and is now on the Jacksonville Jaguars, so he still has plenty of promise; it just didn't turn up at Wisconsin.
1. Literally every QB transfer in the Luke Fickell era
Fickell has yet to have a quarterback transfer in that exceeded or even met expectations. Every quarterback he has brought in has been injured. Literally every single one. He's yet to have a healthy year from the position. But look at this list of absolutely disappointing players: Tanner Mordecai, Braedyn Locke, Nick Evers, Tyler Van Dyke, Billy Edwards Jr., Hunter Simmons, and Danny O'Neil. It's literally the most exhausting list of players to read.
This position group under Luke Fickell is easily the most disappointing and it's not close.
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