Dissecting the Wisconsin Football Team’s Scholarship Situation

The Wisconsin Badgers football program has undergone significant transformations since the season came to a close, ranging from recruiting wins to coaching changes and even player departures. 

Now that the dust has settled, the Wisconsin Badgers are primed to roll out a roster this spring that reflects some continuity and a batch of fresh faces from the transfer portal. 

The 2024 high school recruiting class and a substantial influx of transfers have added new dimensions to the team. With 13 players (and counting) from the transfer portal and 22 incoming freshmen, Wisconsin football will receive an infusion of highly regarded talent and much-needed energy. 

But as we know, the portal giveth and it also taketh away. During this period of change, the Badgers witnessed the departure of a dozen scholarship players to the portal, accompanied by a few others choosing to forgo their final year of eligibility and opting for the NFL Draft.

Notably, the coaching staff saw some changes with the loss of the wide receiver coach Mike Brown and the subsequent hiring of his replacement, Kenny Guiton, from Arkansas. The Badgers faced challenges on the offensive line during the season and decided to reassign Jack Bicknell Jr. to a different role. Since then, Wisconsin football found a replacement in Vanderbilt offensive line coach A.J. Blazek. 

Let’s keep it simple and say there is no shortage of storylines worth following as the team inches closer to spring practice. But the situation I’ll be monitoring the closest has to do with the team’s scholarship distribution. 

Wisconsin Football Will Have Some Movement in the Next Portal Window 

NCAA rules dictate a maximum of 85 scholarship players on the roster, yet, by my count (thanks in large part to the Buck Around doing the Lord’s work), Wisconsin’s current tally stands at 91.

With the latest additions I have the Badgers at 91 scholarships. Green cells are portal additions. Red cells incoming recruits. Feel the colors help visualize where the roster changes next year pic.twitter.com/NdnNYaifd4

— BuckAround (@Buck_Around) January 11, 2024

Right now, the transfer portal window is closed. That means nobody on the Badgers can transfer until the next window opens in April, which will assuredly lead to some significant changes after players have a chance to reassess their respective roles after spring practice.

In breaking down the scholarship numbers, there are 56 returning players on scholarship, evenly distributed across the Wisconsin football offense (26), defense (28), and special teams (2).

The inflow of 13 scholarship transfers and 22 incoming freshmen brings the official total to 91. Despite exceeding the 85-man scholarship limit on paper, the Wisconsin Badgers will be within compliance because only 10 of the incoming freshmen plan to enroll early.

That said, by the end of spring ball, the program will need that number to get trimmed down before summer rolls around. Some will volunteer to leave by selecting to pursue opportunities where they can earn more prominent roles. Others might be voluntold to look for a different situation.

Either way, Wisconsin football will get that number down before fall camp. Odds are, much like last season, that the Badgers will go portaling again to add depth at a few spots after they can evaluate the roster in spring.

Where Might the Wisconsin Badgers Experience Some Attrition? 

We’re still quite a ways away from spring practice, but since we know Wisconsin football will need that scholarship number trimmed down eventually, it’s worth exploring which rooms could potentially see some movement.

There’s no point in speculating on the names of players who could potentially depart after spring practice. Still, in order for the Badgers to find a healthy blend of seasoned scholarship players, transfers, and incoming freshmen, three rooms stand out to me.

The first seems obvious: running back. As it stands, Wisconsin has eight scholarship running backs on the roster between Chez Mellusi, Tawee Walker, Jackson Acker, Cade Yacamelli, Nate White, and the trio of 2024 recruits. That’s too many for the Badgers to justify carrying.

It’s a position where numbers will sort themselves out once everyone sees where they fall in the pecking order. Mellusi and Walker should be the top two options, and it’s safe to say that Dilin Jones, Darrion Dupree, and Gideon Ituka aren’t going anywhere, so we’ll see what happens.

Second, the inside linebacker room seems destined to experience more attrition. There are nine Wisconsin football players actively on scholarship after the flurry of transfer portal additions.

It’s clear that the Badgers staff felt strongly about overhauling this position group, evidenced by the pickups of Jaheim Thomas, Tackett Curtis, Sebastian Cheeks, and Jahsiah Galvan.

Jordan Turner, Maema Njongmeta, and Aidan Vaughan left the program, but I’m doubtful they’ll be the last at inside linebacker.

Lastly, cornerback is a spot that could change between now and fall camp. There are 11 scholarship corners on the roster, and once the depth chart begins taking shape, it seems plausible someone could jump ship.

Ricardo Hallman announced his return, fellow starter Nyzier Fourqurean is back in the fold, and the Badgers also added RJ Delancy from the transfer portal to presumably take over the starting slot role.

Behind them is a room primarily constructed by Luke Fickell and his Wisconsin football coaching staff. If they exit spring feeling like they’d benefit from adding another veteran, don’t be surprised if a few players depart at cornerback so the Badgers can go portaling.

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