The roster overhaul is at a fever pitch. Luke Fickell is not messing around with his newly invested funds to improve this roster. He's going bigger, faster, and stronger. The latest addition definitely fits in the BIGGER camp as he's 6'5 and 340 pounds. PJ Wilkins has decided to be a Badger and help shore up the offensive line, and he took an interesting journey to get to Wisconsin.
Originally, he was a barely recruited offensive lineman from Baltimore, Maryland. He went to Charlotte and started as a redshirt freshman. He made a name for himself, and Ole Miss recruited him out of the transfer portal. Then things get a little dicey.
This is a large human being. https://t.co/1qynZ4JhId
— Badger of Honor (@BadgerOfHonorFS) January 7, 2026
PJ "Paris" Wilkins has committed to Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers
Related: Wisconsin football transfer portal tracker: Who's out, in, and the speculation
He came to Ole Miss as the starter and played the first two games of the season on the starting line, but he was still a little too raw, so he was moved to a backup role. He then rotated in throughout the rest of the season and helped the playoff-bound Ole Miss Rebels. However, being relegated to a backup role wasn't his plan, and before the season even ended for the Rebels, he decided to look for a new opportunity.
That brought him to Eric Mateos and Wisconsin. He's large, he's still a bit raw, but he shows the skills to be an incredible offensive lineman. Getting recruited to Ole Miss and even starting a few games shows that the potential is there. Mateos will need to pull it all the way out of him so he can help the Badgers on the offensive line protecting the new QB, Colton Joseph.
Wilkins joins two other transfers in the offensive line: tackle Blake Cherry from Arkansas and tackle Lucas Simmons from Florida State. It will be fascinating to watch the construction of this line for next season.