Wisconsin’s young linebacker core just got deeper with Luke Fickell’s portal add

The portal continues to bring in new Badgers, as Luke Fickell and his staff have added 11 in just the last couple of days. The latest addition, Jon Jon Kamara, is a highly touted young linebacker who played 12 games for Kansas last season as a redshirt freshman. He has the potential to join the other young linebackers that Wisconsin already has: Cooper Catalano and Mason Posa.

Kamara may not have a ton of stats to his name, as he was a rotational depth linebacker this last year for the Jayhawks. He's a freakish athlete with a ton of attributes that will have coaches ready to teach him the specifics of playing linebacker at a high level.

Jon Jon Kamara is the latest Wisconsin Badger out of the transfer portal

Related: Wisconsin football transfer portal tracker: Who's out, in, and the speculation

Kamara had 13 tackles last season with 0.5 sacks. He played behind other veteran linebackers ahead of him, but showed off his athleticism when given the opportunity. With star linebackers already on the roster, Luke Fickell has the ability to gamble on a high-upside player with a ton of intangibles

What are those intangibles? According to Kamara's X page, when he entered the portal, he listed these stats: 6’4, 236 pounds, 22+ MPH, 40-inch vertical jump, 10’10 broad jump, and 390 bench press. That's wildly impressive, and someone who may be ready to go after a little more coaching.

He's now the eleventh addition for Luke Fickell and Wisconsin, joining safety Carson Van Dinter, tight end Jacob Harris, running back Abu Sama III, cornerback Eric Fletcher, quarterback Colton Joseph, tight end Ryan Schwendeman, center Austin Kawecki, defensive lineman Justus Boone, and wide receiver Shamar Rigby.

That's an impressive start to the transfer portal as Fickell needs to overhaul the roster and go both wide and deep. He needs starters, and he needs depth, and there will be a mix-match of both as Wisconsin continues to add players.