Uncovering Wisconsin's Transfer Portal Strategy
Where Do Things Stand at QB?
Wisconsin has been quietly pursuing a transfer portal quarterback. Names like Cal's Fernando Mendoza, SMU's Preston Stone, Alabama's Dylan Lonergan, and San Diego State's Danny O'Neil are on their radar. On3's Steve Wiltfong reported that O'Neil has a Wisconsin offer and is set to visit Madison this weekend. O'Neil completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 2,181 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions this season and has three years of eligibility remaining.The Athletic's Manny Navarro reported that Wisconsin is one of the schools that has reached out to Mendoza, along with Indiana, UCLA, Oregon State, and Northwestern. His high school coach at Miami Columbus said he wasn't close to deciding his next school as he just entered the portal on Wednesday. Mendoza completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 3,004 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions at Cal and has two seasons of eligibility remaining, making him one of the top transfer portal quarterbacks available.The Badgers may be looking for a veteran quarterback who can start immediately and another to develop. Three quarterbacks from last season's roster have entered the transfer portal: Cole LaCrue, Tyler Van Dyke, and Braedyn Locke. Wisconsin currently has just three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster with redshirt freshman Mabrey Mettauer and incoming freshmen early enrollees Carter Smith and Landyn Locke, who is coming off a torn ACL injury. Mettauer played only 16 snaps this season.
WR a Priority
Wisconsin is on the hunt for a big-bodied receiver to complement its returning core of playmakers. At least six receivers have already received offers from Wisconsin in the first few days of the transfer portal: Tre Spivey (6-foot-4, 217 pounds, Kansas State), Chase Sowell (6-4, 195, East Carolina), Harvey Broussard (6-3, 183, Louisiana), Nyziah Hunter (6-2, 210, Cal), Caleb Goodie (6-1, 170, Colorado State), and Javon Tracy (6-0, 206, Miami (Ohio)). On3's Pete Nakos reported that JJ Harrell (6-1, 195, Mississippi State), a four-star prospect in the 2024 class, is scheduled to visit Wisconsin.Wisconsin's biggest pickup at receiver this offseason might be retaining Trech Kekahuna. He entered the portal but withdrew on Wednesday night and announced his decision to return to the Badgers. Kekahuna ranked third on the team in catches (25), receiving yards (339), and touchdown catches (two) in 2024. That means Wisconsin brings back its top four pass catchers by receiving yards: Vinny Anthony, Will Pauling, Kekahuna, and C.J. Williams. These four players combined to catch 122 passes for 1,666 yards and 11 touchdowns.Upon entering the portal, Kekahuna expressed his frustration as "my opportunities were limited." According to Pro Football Focus, he was targeted 46 times, the third-most on the team. He played a season-high 39 offensive snaps in the regular-season finale against Minnesota.
Busy in Secondary
Wisconsin needs veteran help in the secondary at cornerback and safety. Three-year starting cornerback Ricardo Hallman has yet to publicly announce his NFL draft plans. Max Lofy was honored on senior day but has another year of eligibility. The only other cornerback with experience is Xavier Lucas, who played 203 snaps as a true freshman. Three cornerbacks have entered the transfer portal this offseason: Amare Snowden, Jonas Duclona, and Jace Arnold.Wisconsin offered Miami (Ohio) cornerback Raion Strader, Utah cornerback Cameron Calhoun, and Charlotte's Elijah Culp, among others. Strader was a first-team All-MAC performer with two interceptions and 17 pass breakups in 2024. Calhoun tallied an interception and nine pass breakups in 2024, while Culp had 29 tackles and an interception.Wisconsin's safety group is thin following the departures of Braedyn Moore and Justin Taylor. The Badgers are set to have at least three visitors who play safety: Traynor, Northern Illinois' Santana Banner, and South Florida's Tawfiq Byard. Banner said he will visit four programs - Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Missouri, and Wisconsin - as he believes their defensive schemes fit him. He intends to complete all his visits by Tuesday and heard from more than 20 programs. Banner, who has three years of eligibility remaining, finished this season with 54 tackles, four pass breakups, and one interception.
Looking for Depth up Front
It's clear that finding defensive line help through the transfer portal is one of Wisconsin's top priorities this offseason. They lost three players to the portal (James Thompson Jr., Curt Neal, and Hank Weber) and currently have just seven scholarship defensive linemen on the roster.Wisconsin has responded by offering to several players. This includes Cazeem Moore, Nnaeto, Kitchen, Donald, Western Michigan's Corey Walker, Louisiana Tech's David Blay, and according to Chris Hummer of 247Sports, Tulane's Parker Petersen. Western Kentucky's Hosea Wheeler, a first-team All-Conference USA selection, visited Wisconsin on Thursday after visiting Indiana.Donald said he had heard from roughly 20 programs and was trying to narrow down his list of programs to visit. Other programs he's considering include NC State, Nebraska, Iowa, Rutgers, Tulane, ECU, and UTSA. But Wisconsin could be a strong contender with defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow."I love the program," Donald said. "I love Coach Whit and his development program with NFL players, and I feel like it would be a great fit for my style of play. He said he's looking for aggressive D-linemen, somebody who can get the job done and somebody with great hands."
Tight End Upgrade?
ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that former Ball State tight end Tanner Koziol was expected to visit Houston and then Wisconsin. Although Wisconsin has seven scholarship tight ends on the roster, there is limited productivity. Tucker Ashcraft caught 12 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown in 2024, while JT Seagreaves caught four passes for 44 yards. Riley Nowakowski, who appeared in 40 career games, entered the transfer portal.Koziol is one of the top tight ends available in the transfer portal after catching 94 passes for 839 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024. His 7.8 receptions per game ranked fourth in the country.