The Badgers have a lot of holes on their roster at a number of positions with recent portal entries.
The Wisconsin Badgers are now in offseason mode after a 24-7 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday officially eliminated them from bowl contention, marking the first time in 22 years that they won’t make a postseason appearance.
It was a disappointing campaign for the Badgers in Year 2 under head coach Luke Fickell, as they struggled against a tougher schedule, fading hard as the season ended with five consecutive losses.
Now, heading into a crucial offseason, it’s time to retool for the Badgers, as they have a number of key positions to address for 2025.
Let’s break down the state of every position and what the Badgers may need to do. We started with the offense, so let’s move on to the defense.
Defensive Line
The defensive line was already a position of need in the transfer portal entering the offseason, as the Badgers were set to lose top contributor Elijah Hill, while the group wasn’t that strong to begin with.
Well, the position just became even more of a priority as Wisconsin lost starters Curt Neal and James Thompson Jr. to the transfer portal, leaving them without key rotational pieces for the 2025 season.
The Badgers should expect some of their younger contributors, such as Dillan Johnson and Ernest Willor, to step up, while Ben Barten potentially returns for a sixth and final season.
But, Wisconsin needs quality contributors and a number of them if they want to have a five to six-man rotation in 2025. This group needs to be much better, which means the Badgers will likely have to spend some money in the transfer portal.
Outside Linebackers
The Badgers are losing top rotational pieces Leon Lowery, who entered the transfer portal for his final season, and John Pius, who is out of eligibility. Both transferred into the program last offseason and didn’t have the impact Wisconsin expected, leading to some inconsistent production from the outside linebacker room.
The Badgers have Darryl Peterson, Aaron Witt, and Sebastian Cheeks potentially returning, while freshman Thomas Heiberger should take a step up into a meaningful role. So, the younger players could be the answers at the position. But, it wouldn’t be a surprise for Wisconsin to go after another quality veteran at the position to keep the rotation fresh.
Inside Linebackers
The Badgers are losing starters Jake Chaney and Jaheim Thomas, who had their moments, but were inconsistent for much of their season with their angles, tackling, and coverage.
But, they have younger players ready for starting roles with Christian Alliegro and Tackett Curtis. If the Badgers don’t feel that one of the players is ready to start, they could go to the transfer portal for a more experienced option once again.
Behind them, there’s some solid younger depth with Tyler Jansey and Landon Gauthier, while Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano are coming in with the 2025 class.
So, the numbers are there. The lone question is: does Wisconsin trust Curtis to be a good enough contributor or will they go to the portal for a player with more experience?
Cornerbacks
This group has seen some bleeding, as Jonas Duclona, Jace Arnold, and Amare Snowden are entering the transfer portal. That, paired with the departures of Nyzier Fourqurean and RJ Delancy, has taken away the depth from the cornerback position.
Wisconsin currently has only four projected returning defensive backs for the 2025 season: Ricardo Hallman, Xavier Lucas, Omillio Agard, and Jay Harper, while two more are coming in with the freshmen class.
Still, if the Badgers want to be able to rotate players here and give their starters, presumably Hallman and Lucas, a breather, they’ll need some extra players from the transfer portal.
They also could very well need a nickel corner, as Austin Brown seems primed to move back to safety. So, numbers are needed in a big way at the position.
Safeties
This group is losing both of their starters, as Hunter Wohler and Preston Zachman are both out of eligibility.
That leaves Austin Brown as the top returner, and he should assume one of the starting safety spots. The other could’ve gone to promising rising redshirt sophomore Braedyn Moore, but he surprisingly entered the transfer portal this week.
Currently, Wisconsin has just two scholarship safeties set to return with Brown and freshman Raphael Dunn. They are bringing in up to four safeties in their 2024 class, as Grant Dean and Luke Emmerich are projected to play the position, while Jaimier Scott and Remington Moss are athletes that could end at safety as well.
But, they need numbers and another starter at the position, which could be one of the top needs in the portal this winter. I’d expect at least one addition to the group and likely more.