Who is transferring out of the program this offseason?
It’s officially the offseason for the Wisconsin Badgers, as their season ended on Friday with a 24-7 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The winter transfer portal period opens on December 9th, but several players have already announced their intentions to transfer from the program, looking to move forward to new opportunities.
As news continues to come, we’ll have an updated tracker with the latest transfer portal news, keeping up with every player choosing to leave the program.
December 21st
Well, the Badgers are losing all of their quarterbacks from the 2024 season, as Mabrey Mettauer is entering the transfer portal after his true freshman year. He joins quarterbacks Tyler Van Dyke, Braedyn Locke, and Cole LaCrue in the transfer portal.
The Badgers are losing yet another recruit from their 2023 class, as defensive lineman Jamel Howard is entering the transfer portal after two seasons. A redshirt freshman in 2024, Howard didn’t see the field once during his two years in Madison and moves in with three years of eligibility.
December 19th
One day after a big blow with Anelu Lafaele, the Badgers are losing another four-star freshman and it’s potentially their most valuable player: cornerback Xavier Lucas. He committed to Wisconsin over Florida State and Miami last winter, but is moving one after one season.
K Nate Van Zelst
While one specialist entered the transfer portal and returned back to the program, another is heading elsewhere, as kicker Nate Van Zelst is moving on from Wisconsin. Van Zelst was the team’s lead kicker in 2022, hitting 11/14 of his field goals, but was moved to the backup spot in place of Nathanial Vakos the last two years.
December 18th
In one of the bigger surprises/blows thus far, 2024 four-star recruit Anelu Lafaele is entering the transfer portal after redshirting his freshman season. He was a major get for Wisconsin initially, but will move on with four years of eligibility left.
December 17th
In another major wideout move, wide receiver Will Pauling is entering the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. Pauling had 42 catches for 407 yards and three touchdowns one season after earning All-Big Ten honors with 74 catches for 837 yards and six scores.
The Badgers are losing one of their projected starting receivers, as C.J. Williams is entering the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility. He had the biggest year of his career yet, catching 16 passing for 248 yards and two scores in 2024, and will move on for his senior year.
December 16th
The Badgers are losing their starting slot cornerback as Max Lofy will enter the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility. After missing the entire 2023 season due to injury, Lofy earned the starting slot spot in the offseason, but lost reps to Austin Brown, who won the starting job for the second half of the season.
December 11th
In a turn of events, wide receiver Trech Kekahuna is withdrawing his name from the transfer portal and returning to Wisconsin for 2025, he announced on Instagram. He returns as Wisconsin’s No. 2 slot receiver behind senior Will Pauling.
In a major move, quarterback Braedyn Locke is entering the transfer portal with two years of eligibility left. Locke was the team’s starting quarterback for nine games this season, and leaves Wisconsin with three scholarship quarterbacks remaining on their 2025 roster.
S Kamoi Latu
After missing much of the year due to injury, safety Kamo’i Latu will spend the final year of his eligibility elsewhere. He’s entering the transfer portal, marking yet another defensive back to leave this offseason.
December 9th
TE Riley Nowakowski
Riley Nowakowski will spend his sixth season elsewhere, entering the transfer portal for his final year of eligibility. The veteran tight end’s departure means that Wisconsin room will be filled with underclassmen in 2025.
Graduate quarterback Tyler Van Dyke is heading elsewhere for his sixth and final season. He played in just three games for the Badgers before tearing his ACL, and will look for his third destination next.
December 7th
K Gavin Lahm
Junior kicker Gavin Lahm is entering the transfer portal, he announced over the weekend. He had been Wisconsin’s kickoff specialist in each of the past two seasons and is the first specialist this offseason to enter the portal.
December 5th
Redshirt freshman offensive lineman James Durand made a late night announcement that he was entering the transfer portal on Thursday, moving on with three years of eligibility remaining. A former four-star recruit, he becomes the 11th player to leave Wisconsin’s 2023 recruiting class.
Freshman defensive lineman Hank Weber is entering the transfer portal, marking the first player from Wisconsin’s 2024 class to leave. A former three-star recruit, Weber is the third defensive lineman to leave this offseason and will have four years of eligibility at his next destination.
December 4th
In a big move, top defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. is entering the transfer portal, which means two starters at the position are heading out this offseason. Thompson missed almost the entire season with a torn pec and will play his final year elsewhere.
OL Manny Mullens
Reserve offensive lineman Manny Mullens is entering the transfer portal, he announced on Wednesday. The younger brother of former Badgers defensive lineman Isaiah Mullens, Manny Mullens had initially been brought in as a defensive lineman, but was moved to the other side of the ball due to Wisconsin’s lack of depth this past spring.
Former three-star running back Nate White is entering the transfer portal, marking the 10th recruit from Wisconsin’s 2023 class to leave after just two offseasons. White was converted to a receiver this offseason due to the depth the team had at running back.
Former four-star wideout Trech Kekahuna is entering the transfer portal, causing the Badgers to lose a significant part of their receiver core for the 2025 season. Playing a key role as the No. 2 slot receiver, Kekahuna was third on the team in receiving this season. He’ll move on with three years of eligibility.
December 3rd
Former four-star safety Braedyn Moore is entering the transfer portal, marking the sixth Badgers defensive back from the 2023 class to depart from the program. Moore was the prized defensive back from that recruiting class, which has lost a significant portion of its talent just two offseasons later.
It’s been a busy day of transfer portal news as Jace Arnold becomes the third player of the day to announce that he’s entering the portal. Arnold is the fourth redshirt freshman defensive back to leave, joining Justin Taylor, Amare Snowden, and Jonas Duclona, who each announced their news over the last two days.
The Badgers are losing another defensive starter, as defensive lineman Curt Neal is heading to the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining. He was a full-time starter in 2024 for Wisconsin.
The Badgers are losing another redshirt freshman defensive back, as former three-star Justin Taylor is entering the transfer portal. Taylor had committed to Wisconsin under the previous staff in the Class of 2023 and stayed on when head coach Luke Fickell was hired.
December 2nd
The Badgers are losing another redshirt freshman cornerback, as former three-star Jonas Duclona is entering the transfer portal. Duclona was initially pledged to Cincinnati, but also came to Wisconsin with head coach Luke Fickell.
He had been in the two-deep during both years at Wisconsin, but never got significant playing time working behind starter Ricardo Hallman.
December 1st
Redshirt freshman cornerback Amare Snowden is entering the transfer portal after two years with the program. A four-star recruit in the Class of 2023, Snowden had initially pledged to Cincinnati, but came to Wisconsin with head coach Luke Fickell.
Redshirt senior outside linebacker Leon Lowery will spend his final year of eligibility, as he’ll be transferring after one year with the Badgers. Coming in from Syracuse, Lowery didn’t have the impact he expected, totaling just 29 tackles and one sack over 11 starts.
November 20th
Redshirt freshman quarterback Cole LaCrue was the first player to enter the transfer portal, announcing his intentions on November 21st, four days after the Badgers fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo.