How have Badgers in the transfer portal fared elsewhere?

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The Wisconsin Badgers have been quite an active team in the transfer portal since head coach Luke Fickell arrived, seeing a ton of players both enter and exit the program over the last three years.

Unfortunately, those additions haven’t directly correlated to wins, mainly due to struggles on the offensive side of the ball at quarterback. But, what about those players who have left the program?

Over the last three years, 73 players have left the program via the transfer portal.

2023

There were 19 players who entered the transfer portal in 2023. Here’s the full list:

OL Drew Evans – Indiana

WR Markus Allen – Eastern Michigan, Mississippi State

CB A’Khoury Lyde – Delaware

CB Al Ashford III – Utah State, Marshall

K Vito Calvaruso

CB Avyonne Jones – Coastal Carolina

LB Spencer Lytle – Stanford

RB Julius Davis – Montana State

QB Chase Wolf

DB Dean Engram – UConn

TE Jaylan Franklin – Michigan State

RB Isaac Guerendo – Louisville

DB Semar Melvin – Michigan State

S Titus Toler – Boise State

QB Graham Mertz – Florida

WR Stephan Bracey – Central Michigan

OT Logan Brown – Kansas

QB Deacon Hill – Iowa

There weren’t many key contributors who left in 2023 during the initial reshape of the program. Of the group, Drew Evans easily became the biggest contributor, turning into a starting offensive lineman for the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers behind coach Bob Bostad.

Wideout Markus Allen had a good year at Eastern Michigan after going to JUCO following his dismissal, but was a non-factor at Mississippi State this year.

Elsewhere, running back Isaac Guerendo had a great year at Louisville, getting taken in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, just a few picks after Braelon Allen.

Graham Mertz was fine at Florida and ended up with the Houston Texans. Logan Brown was a quality tackle at Kansas after getting dismissed at Wisconsin. But, there weren’t too many big losses in this cycle, maybe outside of Evans.

2024

There were 23 transfers out in 2024, with a few notable names here.

CB Michael Mack – Ohio

CB AJ Tisdell – Incarnate Word

DL Mike Jarvis – Liberty

WR Tommy McIntosh – Central Michigan

DL Gabe Kirschke – Colorado State

DL T.J. Bollers – Cal

QB Nick Evers – UConn

DL Gio Paez – LSU

EDGE Kaden Johnson – Nevada

OT Nolan Rucci – Penn State

DL Darian Varner – Cincinnati

DL Rodas Johnson – Texas A&M

LB Jordan Turner – Michigan State

OT Trey Wedig – Indiana

EDGE Jordan Mayer – Penn State

CB Amaun Williams – Minnesota State

WR Chimere Dike – Florida

WR Skyler Bell – UConn

QB Myles Burkett – Albany, Eastern Kentucky

WR Keontez Lewis – Southern Illinois, Oklahoma

LB Ross Gengler – UW-La Crosse

IOL Dylan Barrett – Iowa State

The list increased in 2024, and there were a few big skill-position losses. Chimere Dike was a top contributor at Florida and got drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2025. Skyler Bell had a good season for UConn in 2024, breaking out, and was elite in 2025, being a first-team All-American. He should get drafted this year. Keontez Lewis parlayed a good year at Southern Illinois into being a top-three wide receiver at Oklahoma, a playoff team this year.

Those weren’t the only key contributors. Trey Wedig was a starter for the 11-2 Indiana team that made the College Football Playoff last year. Dylan Barrett was a good starter at Iowa State. Gio Paez was a starter at LSU in 2024. And Nolan Rucci was a part-time tackle at Penn State on their playoff team in 2024.

2025

The 2025 offseason saw Wisconsin lose its biggest number yet, as 31 players entered the transfer portal.

CB Jay Harper – UL-Monroe

LS Eli Stein – Cincinnati

OL Derek Jensen – Iowa State

TE Tanner Koziol – Houston

WR Grady O’Neill – Sam Houston State

WR Quincy Burroughs – Western Kentucky

WR Mark Hamper – Cal

RB Tawee Walker – Cincinnati

QB Mabrey Mettauer – Sam Houston State

CB Xavier Lucas – Miami

EDGE Anelu Lafaele – Michigan State

K Nate Van Zelst

WR C.J. Williams – Stanford

WR Will Pauling – Notre Dame

DB Max Lofy – Rice

QB Braedyn Locke – Arizona

TE Riley Nowakowski – Indiana

S Kamo’i Latu – UConn

IOL James Durand – Western Illinois

DL Hank Weber – Samford

DL James Thompson Jr. – Illinois

S Braedyn Moore – Toledo

CB Jonas Duclona – USF

DL Curt Neal – Illinois

S Justin Taylor – Wyoming

CB Amare Snowden – Toledo

EDGE Leon Lowery – Illinois

QB Cole LaCrue – Eastern Illinois

In a loaded group of transfers, there were definitely some standout players.

At tight end, the Badgers had Tanner Koziol transfer out in the spring after coming in the winter, with reports about his toughness clashing with the coaching staff. Well, Koziol had a huge season at Houston, catching 74 passes for 727 yards and six touchdowns. He’s a certainty to get drafted in 2025.

Tawee Walker was very productive at Cincinnati, but he was never coming back, so that one doesn’t sting as much. Mabrey Mettauer, a four-star recruit in the Class of 2025, didn’t look good at all in his action this year, and re-entered the transfer portal. I didn’t see that one as a big blow at the time, given the significant amount of development needed.

But, Xavier Lucas is a starter on a Miami playoff team that just beat Ohio State. C.J. Williams went to Stanford and led the room with 59 catches for 749 yards and six touchdowns. While his stats didn’t pop off (26 catches, 381 yards, two touchdowns), Will Pauling was Notre Dame’s No. 3 wide receiver and a captain for a team that narrowly missed the playoffs.

Riley Nowakowski has been a valuable contributor to Indiana’s offense as their top tight end, developing into even more of a receiver. James Thompson Jr. had his best year yet at Illinois, where Curt Neal was also a contributor (although Wisconsin’s defensive line was fine in 2025).

A lot of the younger defensive backs that transferred out didn’t really see much action at their other schools, apart from Jonas Duclona, who was a key contributor at South Florida.

But, there was definitely a good amount of talent that left the Badgers last offseason.

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