While there has been plenty of awesome commitment news for the Wisconsin football team in recent days, it's hard to forget that plenty of players won't be back in 2025. The Badgers have been hit hard by guys leaving the transfer portal.
In stunning fashion, though, the 2023 class is just about entirely gone. Before the weekend arrived, 11 players from that class had announced their intentions to leave Madison. On Saturday, though, defensive tackle Jamel Howard added his name to the list. That's now 12 of 15 signees from '23 who are gone. You can't even making this up:
After meaningful talks with my family and staff, I’m grateful to the University of Wisconsin for helping me grow as a player and person. With that, I’m entering the transfer portal with three years of eligibility. pic.twitter.com/AxhmTL3HPs
— Jamel howard Jr (@HJ_Jr58) December 21, 2024
Wisconsin DT Jamel Howard announced he's entering the transfer portal
Prior to Howard deciding to bolt, offensive lineman James Durand, a former 4-star playmaker, was the most-recent '23 playmaker to enter the portal. With 12 players gone, only Tucker Ashcraft, Tyler Jansey and Christian Alliego remain from that initial group of 15.
You're always going to have plenty of turnover for a program, especially with the way the transfer portal has been set these days. However, it's got to be incredibly alarming for Fickell that his first full haul at Wisconsin has been trimmed down to three players.
Obviously, that's not what he wants to see happen for his 2024 group and he most certainly doesn't want his '25 signees to even think about leaving town either. Looking ahead to the future, there's plenty of pressure on Fickell to step up and deliver, especially after back-to-back underwhelming campaigns.
This past fall, the Badgers went 5-7, ending a 22-year bowl streak. The Badgers could have played in a bowl game at 5-7 this year, but the team decided against heading to the Independence Bowl. It was a rough season, but the hope is that Fickell can turn things around. Having the '23 group wiped down to three, however, is a major concern at this point of the offseason.