Wisconsin continues to add on both sides of the ball, but one of the areas that needed more bodies was along the defensive line. Many of last year's players there have graduated out, and Luke Fickell has a certain body type he's looking for for the defensive line, big boys. It worked for him last year, and he's running it back again this year. Russell Hammond IV may be underrated on lists, but he's going to do damage for Wisconsin.
Why? Because he fits the archetype for what Wisconsin has found success in: 300-pound-plus defensive tackles. Hammond fits that to a T as he's listed at 6'2 and 312 pounds on his West Virginia bio. He also brings something else to Wisconsin that they were looking for and will help tremendously.
BREAKING: West Virginia Defensive Lineman Hammond Russell IV to WISCONSIN, he and his family tell @Badger247 pic.twitter.com/CzXCt18UGD
— Nick Osen (@TheRealNickOsen) January 8, 2026
DL Russell Hammond IV has committed to Wisconsin out of the transfer portal
Related: Wisconsin football transfer portal tracker: Who's out, in, and the speculation
Hammond will be playing his fifth season of college football, and the veteran presence will be important for a defense that is retooling and has a lot of young guns. Those young players are athletic, fast, strong, and a few of them have already emerged as stars (Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano), but Wisconsin needs veterans to balance it out.
Hammond has played in 27 career games and, during those games, has seen a huge amount of snaps. In 2024, he played in 325 defensive plays. So, he's been a big body along a defensive line for a good amount of snaps.
He joins Justus Boone from Arkansas and Junior Poyser from Buffalo as two other defensive line upgrades in the portal. He will join Charles Perkins as another experienced defensive line, run-stopping big man.
Luke Fickell has now added over 20 players in the portal and he's not even done yet.