Wisconsin Football: Takeaways From the Winter Transfer Portal Haul

The Wisconsin football program attacked the transfer portal during the winter transfer window, as the Badgers added 12 players to the roster for the upcoming 2024 season. 

Now that we have entered a slow period in transfer news, let’s take a look back at what stood out in the first portion of Wisconsin’s transfer portal haul. 

Wisconsin Football Revamps LB Corps With a Huge Portal Haul

To say that the Badgers staff saw some area for improvement in the linebacker room would be a huge understatement. Under Mike Tressel’s scheme, the need for rangy, fast, and athletic linebackers is crucial, and players such as Maema Njongmeta and Jordan Turner — who have moved on from the program — didn’t fit that mold perfectly. That’s why the staff brought in five linebackers to bolster the talent and depth. 

UW initially had six linebackers give their verbal pledge in the transfer window, but after loads of additions following his initial commitment, Jahsiah Galvan elected to flip to Stanford. The Badgers still hold five commitments, with William & Mary OLB John Pius, Syracuse OLB Leon Lowery Jr, Arkansas ILB Jaheim Thomas, USC LB Tackett Curtis, and North Carolina LB Sebastian Cheeks transferring in. 

UW will be returning Jake Chaney, Christian Alliegro, Darryl Peterson, and Jeff Pietrowski next season to go along with the transfers. With the latest additions, the linebacker room is chock-full of talent, and the competition for playing time will be very interesting to watch. 

The Wisconsin Badgers Defensive Line Remains an Area for Improvement

You could argue that several positions were the biggest needs, but the one that stood above all was the defensive line. After the exodus of Darian Varner and Rodas Johnson via the portal, as well as Gio Paez using up his last year of eligibility, Wisconsin needed help in the trenches in the worst way. 

UW did find some help via the portal in Albany transfer Elijah Hills, who will join the Badgers with one year of eligibility remaining. Hills has 35 games of experience, posting career marks of 67 tackles, 17.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. Wisconsin was also after several other defensive line targets, including Joey Slackman, Ayobami Tifase, and Anquin Barnes, among others, but Hills was the only addition on the defensive line.

Wisconsin will have James Thompson Jr, Curt Neal, Ben Barten, Cade McDonald, and Jamel Howard returning next season. The defensive line was a disappointment, and all bets are off on who will be in competition for a spot in the two-deep, even with the addition of Hills.

Wisconsin Football Retools Offense with Key Weapons

The Wisconsin offense had several positions to fill, with players like Chimere Dike and Skyler Bell entering the portal, Braelon Allen entering the NFL Draft, and Tanner Mordecai using up his final year of eligibility. With big roles to fill, UW dove into the portal and found some players who would contribute immediately. 

Former Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke will be the successor to Mordecai, as he will also play his final year of eligibility with the Badgers. In three seasons as a starter with the Hurricanes, Van Dyke threw for 7,469 yards, 54 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions while completing 63.7% of his pass attempts. He’s taken a step back since his 2021 campaign, where he was named ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year, but he’s a perfect mold for the Phil Longo air raid-style offense. It will be interesting to see if Van Dyke can return to redshirt freshman form in 2024. 

Badgers RB Chez Mellusi announced he would return for one final season with the Badgers after suffering a season-ending injury in 2023. His experience will be crucial to the Badgers, especially with loads of unproven talent behind him. That limited experience why UW dipped into the portal to bring in Oklahoma transfer RB Tawee Walker. Walker recorded 513 rushing yards and seven touchdowns last season for the Sooners, bringing some additional experience with a wave of incoming freshmen RBs. The Badgers running back room looks to be in good hands with two experienced players at the top and some good developmental talent. 

The Wisconsin Badgers also filled one of its receiver roles by adding former Michigan State slot receiver/returner Tyrell Henry. The sophomore recorded 24 receptions for 195 yards and three touchdowns last season for the Spartans. He made his biggest mark on special teams, however, logging 205 kick return yards and 89 punt return yards. Henry should be a plug-and-play returner, filling the void left by Chimere Dike. He’ll be in competition with Will Pauling and Trech Kekahuna for reps at slot receiver as well, making that an interesting battle to watch in spring ball.

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