The Badgers are getting back one of the key pieces for their defense for a final year.
Amid a flurry of transfer portal moves, the Wisconsin Badgers got some good retention news, as starting safety Preston Zachman announced his return for a sixth and final season this week.
Pretty big for the safety room. Preston Zachman is coming back for his sixth and final year. #Badgers https://t.co/cyG2GY16Ci
— Bucky’s 5th Quarter (@B5Q) December 17, 2024
Zachman, a native of Pennsylvania who has spent his entire career with the Badgers, was a full-time starter for the first time in 2024 after making five starts in 2023, working alongside star safety Hunter Wohler as one of the more underrated pieces on the team’s defense last year.
After recovering from an injury that kept him out for the entire spring, Zachman quickly acclimated in the summer and took over the starting safety job in the fall, moving Austin Brown to work more in the slot alongside Max Lofy.
With Zachman in the fold for 2025, the Badgers have some flexibility. They could keep Brown in the slot, playing their sixth-year starter with recent Richmond transfer Matthew Traynor at safety.
Or, they could find a way to rotate all three safeties in the backend, with Brown and Traynor seeing more time near the box.
But, the Badgers, who have lost a few starters this offseason, are retaining a key piece for the 2025 season with Zachman set to return.