The Badgers are keeping one of their top young receivers for the 2025 season.
Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Trech Kekahuna was one of the team’s biggest losses to the transfer portal earlier this month, as the wideout cited frustration in the offense as his reason for moving forward.
Well, the departure was short-lived, as Kekahuna announced on Instagram that he would return in 2025, despite fielding good interest in the transfer portal over the past week.
The move is a significant one for Wisconsin, as they had been hunting receiver talent in the transfer portal with Kekahuna’s departure, and now bring back a key piece in the slot to complement rising senior Will Pauling as a strong one-two punch.
It was an up-and-down 2024 season for Kekahuna, who had some major highs, including a six-catch, 134-yard, and two-touchdown performance against Purdue, as well as a six-catch, 64-yard game in the season finale against Minnesota.
But, initially expected to be Wisconsin’s No. 2 overall receiver behind Pauling, Kekahuna struggled to find consistent playing time, despite offensive coordinator Phil Longo repeatedly saying that he needed to find a way to get both on the field together.
Wisconsin hired Kansas offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes to be their next offensive coordinator, bringing in a completely different style of offense. It seems to have appealed enough for Kekahuna, who is heading back to Wisconsin for the 2025 season in a major move.