By Mark Pszonak
With action in the transfer portal slowing down, it is time to take a closer look at how each P4 school did during this cycle. Up now are the Wisconsin Badgers
The skinny: Head coach Luke Fickell’s first season at Wisconsin left more questions than answers. Changing the offense that the Badgers have thrived at for seemingly an eternity resulted in a 7-6 season and a loss to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl. So how will the second season go? The Badgers found a quarterback who they hope can spark the offense, while on defense they focused on the linebacker position, which added several important pieces.
Total # entries into portal: 27
Total # of scholarship players who entered portal: 22
Number of scholarship players who withdrew: 0
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Key losses: OL Nolan Rucci (Penn State), LB Jordan Turner (Michigan State), DL Rodas Johnson (Texas A&M)
Key additions: QB Tyler Van Dyke (Miami-Florida), RB Tawee Walker (Oklahoma), LB John Pius (William & Mary), LB Jaheim Thomas (Arkansas), LB Leon Lowery (Syracuse), DL Brandon Lane (Stephen F. Austin), DL Elijah Hills (Albany), LB Sebastian Cheeks (North Carolina), LB Tackett Curtis (USC)
Final thoughts: Last year the Badgers brought in transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai to run the new offense, and while he showed flashes, he was also hampered with an injury. This season the job will go to Tyler Van Dyke to try and add more explosiveness to the offense. More offensive help was brought in with RB Tawee Walker, who won’t be relied on to be the lead back but will become an important part of the unit. Defensively, the linebacker position received an overhaul. Both John Pius and Leon Lowery will play on the outside, while Jaheim Thomas will man the inside. Sebastian Cheeks and Tackett Curtis are two younger additions at the position who may prove to be invaluable in the future. The interior of the defensive line also received a boost with Elijah Hills and Brandon Lane, who will add much needed depth. While the defense received more attention during this portal cycle, it will likely be the development of the offense that determines the level of the success in Madison this season.
