The transfer portal officially opened on Friday, and the Wisconsin Badgers got their first non-JUCO commitment on Saturday, landing Iowa State Cyclones transfer safety Carson Van Dinter, he announced.
Van Dinter, a native of Kaukana, Wisconsin, was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2024. Standing at 6’3. 205 pounds, the safety redshirted in 2024 and saw action in 11 games this season, making 18 tackles and a pass breakup for the Cyclones.
Wisconsin is expected to add multiple bodies to the safety
room after losing Preston Zachman and Austin Brown this offseason, and Van Dinter is the first known addition to the room. He was on campus on a visit starting on Friday.
He has three years of eligibility remaining, joining quite a young room that currently includes Matt Jung, Matthew Traynor, Raphael Dunn, Grant Dean, and Luke Emmerich.
Last year, when adding to the safety room, they looked for another Wisconsin native with Jung, and now go with a similar story with multiple years of eligibility, which may become a theme this year.
Wisconsin is targeting several former Iowa State players, including productive running back Abu Sama and Van Dinter, who were both on campus this weekend.
