The Badgers had some major losses over the past week.
The Wisconsin Badgers have been one of the busiest teams in the transfer portal, as they’ve seen 25 players exit the door to go elsewhere, while bringing in 16 commits of their own thus far, marking for one of the top transfer classes in the country.
However, they still have a number of holes to fill, so let’s evaluate all of their losses in the transfer portal thus far, rating them from 1-10 based on the sting factor of how much that departure hurts.
Let’s start with the team’s third wave of transfers.
WR C.J Williams: 5
The Badgers lost one of their starting wide receivers, as C.J. Williams will spend his senior season elsewhere after playing the last two seasons at Wisconsin. Williams never really lived up to the hype at Wisconsin, as his style of play didn’t seem to fit offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s offense that well.
He’s a loss when it comes to depth, but the Badgers were expected to target a wide receiver in the transfer portal, so this one doesn’t sting as much.
WR Will Pauling: 7
The Badgers lost their top slot receiver to the transfer portal as well, with Will Pauling spending his final season elsewhere.
Pauling had been a key contributor in 2023, but faced injuries and drop issues in 2024, ending up as Wisconsin’s second-leading receiver. This one hurts, as Pauling’s pedigree would’ve been significant for new quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., but Wisconsin already has Trech Kekahuna in the waiting, lowering the rating a bit.
Pauling should benefit from a fresh start after a disappointing campaign, but it’s unfortunate that his final year won’t be at Wisconsin. A part of the sting factor comes from the fact that he was a Luke Fickell recruit who came over from Cincinnati, as a couple of those players have left this offseason.
K Nate Van Zelst: 3
The Badgers lost walk-on kicker Nate Van Zelst to the transfer portal, as he’ll likely attempt to seek a starting job elsewhere in 2025. Van Zelst was the starter back in 2022, making 11/14 field goals, but lost the job to transfer Nathanial Vakos, who has taken over the past two years.
Given the fact that he hasn’t beaten out Vakos, who has been inconsistent thus far, this isn’t as big of a loss, hence the rating of a 3.
OLB Anelu Lafaele: 9
From a production standpoint, the rating would obviously be lower. But, it’s not a good sign to lose four-star recruits from your freshman class, especially when they represent what Lafaele did at the time of his commitment.
The outside linebacker continued the Hawaii to Madison pipeline, which had been significant in recent years, and was a pass-rush specialist with a quick get-off and nice speed around the edge, resembling that of fellow Hawaiian Nick Herbig.
While the Badgers may want to be getting bigger at outside linebacker, this is a loss, both from a recruiting perspective and a potential perspective, and deserves a high rating on the scale, even if Lafaele doesn’t ultimately pan out as a college prospect.
CB Xavier Lucas: 10
If there was any one player that you couldn’t lose this offseason, it was star freshman cornerback Xavier Lucas, who was going to generate national interest after some quality play on the boundary in 2024.
Well, after one season, the highly-touted four-star recruit, who was a massive win on the recruiting trail last December, is entering the transfer portal, likely earning a significant amount of money in the process.
Regardless of the price, keeping Lucas had to be a priority. He would’ve done a ton for the program’s future, as his development would be key in recruiting pitches, as well as for the team’s success over the next two to three years.
DL Jamel Howard: 4
Jamel Howard was one of the more exciting recruits in Wisconsin’s 2023 class, as they fended off a strong offer list to land him back two offseasons ago. But, the defensive lineman never panned out with the Badgers, failing to record a single snap over his two years at Wisconsin.
So, his decision to enter the transfer portal doesn’t really sting as much, as it was unclear whether he’d be able to be a contributor, even in a room thinned out from a depth perspective.
The lack of depth in the room does slightly boost the rating, but this one isn’t as significant of a loss, based on what we’ve seen thus far, with younger players Dillan Johnson and Ernest Willor Jr. emerging as likelier options to be contributors.
QB Mabrey Mettauer: 6
Usually, losing a four-star freshman quarterback would be a significant blow and earn a rating much closer to 10.
But, this move felt expected, especially with the change in offensive coordinators, so Mettauer’s rating lands at a six. It’s still a significant loss, as the Badgers lost one of their four quarterbacks in their 2025 room, and now are in need of another signal-caller, which means their entire room will be different next year.
However, Wisconsin did get 2025 four-star quarterback Carter Smith, as well as a true freshman with San Diego State’s Danny O’Neil, so they have younger options in the room. Now, they just need another addition to round out their room for the upcoming year.