Luke Fickell and the Badgers have been one of the most active teams in the country so far in the transfer portal, stacking up 25 commitments already in the first week. But despite the flurry of additions, there's still one big need that Wisconsin needs to figure out.
The Badgers top three sack-getters from 2025 have all moved on, leaving a major hole on defense to fill with a nice portal commitment. Darryl Peterson and Mason Reiger are out of eligibility, and Christian Alliegro transferred to Ohio State, leaving Mason Posa as the team's only returning player who had four or more sacks.
So far Fickell has already brought in edge player Justus Boone, an Arkansas transfer who logged one sack this past season, but he's still waiting for that big splash signing.
Badgers linked to top edge rusher who would be a perfect fit
One name to watch would be Oklahoma State transfer Wendell Gregory. He's a former four-star recruit and the No. 10 ranked edge in the portal. He also recently visited the Badgers. Gregory has 12 tackles for loss and four sacks as a freshman, and would be an immediate starter for Wisconsin. They'll face tough competition, however, as Gregory unsurprisingly has visits with multiple powerhouse programs including Texas and Miami.
There's been a few other names linked to the Badgers, like New Hampshire edge Jordan McAllister, but Gregory is the obvious top-prize at a position that Wisconsin needs some big production from in 2026.
For now, Sebastian Cheeks and Boone look to be the starters if the season started today. While that's not a terrible lineup, Boone is more of a run-stopper, and Cheeks has yet to log more than three sacks in a season. Still, there's no question Fickell and company have done some great work in the portal, and landing a premier edge would be the cherry on top of an already impressive class.