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.
