Wisconsin Badgers Add First-Team All-AAC Transfer DL

Wisconsin Badgers flip former Temple DL Darian Varner

The Wisconsin Badgers secured yet another addition through the transfer portal.

Wisconsin landed Temple transfer Darian Varner on Thursday afternoon. Varner took to Twitter to announce his commitment.

Let’s do it @BadgerFootball @CoachFick @PatLambert13 pic.twitter.com/Yyuve0188a

— Darian Varner (@DarianVarner) January 5, 2023

Varner is a former three-star recruit, according to 247Sports. He was the 105th defensive lineman in the 2020 class and the 29th-ranked player in Virginia.

The 6-foot-2, 260-pound DE was productive in his two seasons at Temple. In his first year, Varner logged 22 tackles, three sacks, and a fumble recovery. In 2022, he took a big step forward, registering 35 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and a forced fumble while earning First-Team All-AAC honors.

The sophomore lineman was previously committed to Virginia Tech after entering the transfer portal. A month later, head coach Luke Fickell successfully flipped Varner’s commitment.

Securing Varner is significant as the Badgers look to replace Keeanu Benton, their most impactful defensive lineman. Varner brings value as a proven DE with the size and technique to make an immediate impact.

UW will have four veteran defensive linemen returning in 2022, with Isaiah Mullens, Rodas Johnson, Gio Paez, and James Thompson returning. After them, the depth chart is full of players with less experience, but the addition of Varner gives Wisconsin more depth and experience in their defensive front.

Wisconsin has now secured two defensive players in the portal. Cornerback Jason Maitre committed on December 30th, and now Varner is headed to UW just a week later.

The Badgers will be under a new direction with the addition of DC Mike Tressel. With the valuable additions they’ve gotten recently, Wisconsin will still be brimming with talent on the defensive side of the ball.

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Jake Maier on Twitter. @JakeJMaier.

Join the Badger Notes watch party and stream Wisconsin games for FREE by clicking this link.