After adding 2 defensive linemen, the Badgers lose their top returning DL to the transfer portal

5 days ago 2

The transfer portal musical chairs started for the Wisconsin Badgers along the defensive line on Thursday. Wisconsin did some good work, adding Buffalo transfer Junior Poyser and West Virginia transfer Hammond Russell to shore up the team’s depth and get more experience up front.

However, the Badgers had some subtraction on Thursday morning, as top returning defensive lineman Charles Perkins is entering the transfer portal, less than a month after he announced that he was running it back for his final year of college football.

Perkins, a redshirt junior in 2025 who was a massive 6’2, 325 pounds, was expected to step into a bigger role with the departures of seniors Ben Barten, Jay’Viar Suggs, Parker Petersen, and Brandon Lane Jr. He battled some injuries to start the year and ultimately saw just 73 snaps over eight games in 2025 as there was a consistent rotation ahead of him that played well.

But Perkins was a regular disruptor during the offseason in both spring ball and Fall camp, and his size was going to be a big help for Wisconsin’s run defense in 2026. He and the two transfers projected to be Wisconsin’s top defensive linemen next season, with Dillan Johnson also in that mix.

Now, Wisconsin likely needs at least one (but probably two) defensive linemen from the transfer portal that can contribute in 2026.

Prior to coming to Wisconsin, Perkins spent three seasons at UT-Martin. He redshirted as a freshman but was named to the FCS All-American team as a redshirt freshman in 2023, getting 24 tackles, four tackles for loss, and four sacks.

Then, as a redshirt sophomore in 2024, Perkins had 40 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks for UT-Martin, while recording 19 quarterback pressures as a nose tackle. Now, he’ll head elsewhere for his final year of eligibility.

With Perkins gone, here’s what Wisconsin’s room in 2026 currently looks like:

Junior Poyser (transfer)

Hammond Russell (transfer)

Dillan Johnson

Xavier Ukponu

Torin Pettaway

Djidjou Bah (incoming freshman)

Arthur Scott (incoming freshman)

Read Entire Article