Connect with us

Football

Wisconsin Football: Senior Defensive Lineman Enters the Transfer Portal

Wisconsin football DL Gio Paez will finish his career elsewhere

Published

2 months ago

on

Wisconsin Badgers defensive lineman Gio Paez and Luke Fickell
Dec 27, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Wisconsin Badgers defensive end Gio Paez (94) with head coach Luke Fickell against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin Badgers DL Gio Paez has entered the transfer portal after five seasons with the football program. 


The grad transfer will have one season of eligibility remaining at his next stop. 

Wisconsin Football Sees Another Defensive Lineman Hit the Portal

Paez, who joined the Badgers as part of the 2019 recruiting class, appeared in 33 games in five seasons. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound defensive lineman is coming off his best statistical season, logging 23 tackles. His career marks with Wisconsin will finish at 35 tackles and 1.5 TFLs.

Coming out of high school, Paez was a three-star prospect, ranked as the No. 902 player in the nation, the No. 66 DT, and the No. 40 player in North Carolina. Wisconsin was able to beat out offers from Texas A&M, Nebraska, Kentucky, NC State, Louisville, UCF, Toledo, and many others for Paez’s services. 

Paez was set to be one of the returning veterans in the defensive line room in an already thin group under new coach E.J. Whitlow. UW added some reinforcements via the transfer portal by adding Albany transfer Elijah Hills, but the Badgers have few players returning with real game experience. 

Paez is now the fourth Badgers defensive lineman to enter the transfer portal, joining Darian Varner, Rodas Johnson, and Tommy Brunner.

With Paez’s departure, Wisconsin will now look to James Thompson Jr., Ben Barten, Cade McDonald, Jamel Howard, and incoming freshmen, including Dillan Johnson and Ernest Willor Jr, to get the room back on track after a down year where the defensive line produced just 59 pressures and 4.5 sacks last season.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. For more Wisconsin Badgers Athletics and Big Ten content, follow us on Twitter & Facebook. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Also, follow Jake Maier on Twitter @JakeJMaier for more Wisconsin football, basketball, and recruiting coverage.

Also, be sure to check out our shop, subscribe to our newsletter, and the BadgerNotes After Dark podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. Because of your support, we have become one of the fastest-growing independent media outlets focused on giving a voice to the fans!

Related Topics:

Jake Maier is the managing editor and publisher at BadgerNotes.com. He has provided coaching and editorial support to numerous writers in his role, contributing significantly to the platform's growth. His expertise extends to Wisconsin Badgers football, basketball, and recruiting coverage. Jake's previous bylines can be found at Fansided and Wisconsin Sports Heroics.

Trending