One of the biggest disappointments from this offseason has been how things went down with tight end Tanner Koziol. He signed with the Wisconsin football team in the winter, went through spring practice and quickly decided that he didn't want to stick around in Madison.
Koziol ended up signing with Houston and the work began for head man Luke Fickell and his coaches to find a replacement. Thankfully, it hasn't taken long for Fickell to find his guy. On Friday evening, the news broke that Missouri State transfer Lance Mason has committed to the Badgers. The talented tight end has one season of eligibility left:
Missouri State TE Lance Mason has committed to Luke Fickell and Wisconsin
This is a strong get for Wisconsin this late in the process. Keep in mind too that Fickell didn't just go out and grab some random tight end to fill the void with Koziol gone. Mason is a talented tight end and he'll be a strong target for new starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr.
Last season, Mason was quite impressive, posting 590 receiving yards and six touchdowns. More importantly, he's also known for being a strong blocker and he's the kind of playmaker who isn't afraid to dig deep and get his hands dirty when needed.
Shortly after Wisconsin lost some transfers this spring, Fickell didn't hesitate in saying the right guys are going to stick around with the program and that he expects people to give full effort at all times and be on the grind. It sure seemed like it was a bit of a shot at Koziol, who is now looking to be a stud with Houston.
As for Mason, he was also receiving interest from Cal, Oklahoma and others. In the end, Fickell was able to sell him on the great things Wisconsin has in store for the 2025 campaign. Mason will be one and done with the Badgers in 2025, but he'll look to leave a mark on the program.