Which players going in and out have been the most notable in 2024?
As all Wisconsin Badgers fans know by now, this is feral, uncharted territory for our beloved program.
Each Transfer Portal news cycle comes locked and loaded with potentially joyful highs and gutting lows, and, to be brutally honest, it makes one long for the days of yore when filing a spot or two due to transfers was the norm, and landing/losing a big one was the exception rather than the rule.
But, here we are, and Luke Fickell not only has to turn around the team but must do so while also wearing CEO/CFO hats. Doesn’t sound like much fun to me.
There will no doubt be some ups and downs to come before the transfer portal closes later this month, but here are my current best adds and toughest losses for Bucky.
No. 3 best add: WR Mark Hamper (Idaho)
While it’s easy to point to the fact that it came at the FCS level at Idaho, it’s undeniable that the speedy, solidly-built pass catcher with nice size (6’2”, 201) has both good film/numbers (almost 1000 yards and over 20 per catch as a freshman for the Vandals).
My guess is that he’ll immediately step in as a significant upgrade for the Badgers at wide receiver, and the fact that he has three years of eligibility left is a huge bonus.
No. 3 toughest loss: S Braedyn Moore
This one is far more about potential than anything else, but it appeared the opportunity for former four-star recruit Braedyn Moore to slot into some serious 2025 playing time in the safety room was wide open.
To see him end up a week later at Toledo makes it even tougher to swallow. It’s impossible to know what other factors, if any, were going on behind the scenes, but this loss stings.
No. 2 best add: TE Tannor Koziol (Ball State). Everyone on here knows my affinity for Jake Ferguson and saw for themselves how much he meant to the Badgers. The years that have passed since Fergie left have been rough ones for Badger tight ends.
While we’ve seen hints at offensive upside, and definitely gotten solid, smart blocking (see Hayden Rucci), the production has been spotty, fraught with drops. Well, buckle up, folks, because Tanner Koziol has both the look and production of a robustly productive Badger tight end in the vein of Ferguson and Troy Fumagalli.
94 grabs for 839 yards and 9 TD this past season for Ball State signals a big change coming for the tight end room in Madison. Hallelujah!
No. 2 toughest loss: James Thompson, Jr.
While his Badger production never jumped off the page, Thompson was a steady contributor that the team badly missed when he was out this past season with an injury. He’s currently a Top 10 defensive line transfer, which speaks volumes about the lack of high-end talent and depth in the portal at that position.
His offer list, which includes SEC power Tennessee and Illinois, hints at the gravity of this loss for Fickell. Wisconsin has addressed the defensive line in the portal, but it was a position of need before Thompson’s exit.
The Badgers’ 2025 recruiting haul looks very good, but it’s unlikely that anyone in this class will serve as anything more than a rotational piece next fall. But, the opportunity for snaps will be there.
No. 1 best add: QB Billy Edwards, Jr. (Maryland)
This one has grown on me like a galloping fungus. I’ve gone from a polite shrug to being excited to see what this cat can do in Jeff Grimes’ offense since watching some of his film.
He’s imperfect, including not being as fleet of foot as the ideal guy in this new offense would be, but he has proven that he can be an effective Big Ten starter and seems to have some untapped potential.
Since the Badgers don’t have enough NIL heft presently to compete for elite Portal quarterbacks, we need to lean into grabbing a good one.
No. 1 toughest loss: CB Xavier Lucas
This guy is in first place by a wide margin. It’s hard to overstate how big a blow this is to Wisconsin’s secondary (I even devoted an entire podcast to it).
Lucas flashed enough in season one to project as a potential All-Big Ten/NFL caliber player, so returning home to South Florida to (likely) play for the Miami Hurricanes for a lot more money than he’d have gotten in Madison is galling to see, even if you can’t blame the kid one bit.
The hope is that there’s another Lucas type in the 2025 class, but that’s probably a stretch. There’s no way to sugarcoat it; this was a big blow to Tressel’s defense.