Wisconsin football's 3 top targets in 2024-25 transfer portal

12/16/2024 09:43 PM

The offseason is here for the Wisconsin football team as they failed to make a bowl game, and it is time to start focusing on one of the most important aspects of the offseason: the transfer portal. The transfer portal will be big for the Badgers this season as head coach Luke Fickell struggled again this season. Fickell was looked at as a home run hire, but Wisconsin hasn’t lived up to expectations yet. The transfer portal can help fix that.

Wisconsin finished this season with a 5-7 record and they went 3-6 in Big Ten play. That isn’t going to cut it. The Badgers originally moved on from Paul Chryst because he couldn’t quite get over the hump, but he had Wisconsin contending for the Big Ten nearly every year. That has not been the case since Luke Fickell took over.

Next year will be Fickell’s third season at Wisconsin. Badgers fans are already starting to get impatient after two tough seasons to start Fickell’s tenure. He needs to put together a good year in year three, or else his seat will really start to get hot. The Badgers do not have an easy schedule next season, and they need to get some good talent from the transfer portal. Here are a few players that they should have their eyes on.

Billy Edwards Jr., QB, Maryland

The Wisconsin football team had their eyes on Billy Edwards Jr., and they got him! This is a big get for Luke Fickell and his staff, and he is the second QB commit that the Badgers have landed from the transfer portal. Edwards Jr. was third in the Big Ten in passing yards this past season as he threw for 2,881 yards. He also threw for 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. With a good offensive line, he should be even better. The Badgers are going to be a ground and pound team, but they need a good QB. Edwards Jr. can be that guy for him if he gets the right people around him.

Duce Robinson, WR, USC

Adding an elite wide receiver in the transfer portal would be huge for the Wisconsin football team as they now have their QB. Edwards Jr. has a lot of potential, but he has to have weapons around him. Duce Robinson is one of the top WRs in the transfer portal, and it would be a tough task to land him, but it might be worth a shot for the Badgers. Robinson was a very highly-rated recruit and he hauled in 23 receptions for 396 yards and five touchdowns this season. He is a dynamic playmaker that is getting a lot of interest in the portal.

Josh Thompson, IOL, Northwestern

Billy Edwards Jr. would’ve had a lot more success this season at Maryland if he had a better offensive line, so that should be a big priority for the Wisconsin football team. Football is won at the line of scrimmage and the Badgers love to run the football too, so the offensive line is a priority for a number of reasons. Josh Thompson is leaving Northwestern and he is one of the top IOL in the transfer portal. He is getting a lot of attention from Big Ten schools, and he would be a huge get for the Badgers.

The first transfer portal window is open until December 28th, so it will be interesting to see what the Wisconsin football team is able to get before then. Already landing two quarterbacks is huge.

Transfer portal overview

One of the biggest parts of the college football offseason is the transfer portal, and the festivities begin before the offseason actually starts. Teams that didn't qualify for the postseason have entered their offseason, but there are a lot of teams that still have bowl games to play. The transfer portal opened up on December 9th, so it creates some issues for players that want to transfer but still have a season going.

The transfer portal is a massive part of college football now, and there are definitely positives and negatives to it. One of the biggest issues that people have with it is the timing of the first window. It is open in early December so players can pick a new school and start the next semester there when January rolls around. However, it does create issues as we have already seen players this year on College Football Playoff teams have to miss out on the opportunity to participate in the CFP because of their transfer.

On the flip side, the transfer portal gives teams a chance to completely rebuild their squad in just one offseason. New head coaches can come in and bring in a lot of experienced players from the jump, and it can make for a quick turnaround. Any team has hope in the offseason because of the transfer portal.

The transfer portal opened up for the first time this season on December 9th and it will stay open until December 28th. This window is the main window where a lot of the action takes place, but the transfer portal will open again in the spring.

From April 16th until April 25th, the transfer portal will be back open. That way, players can go through spring ball and have a better idea of what their upcoming season will look like. If they aren't satisfied, they can leave. We even sometimes see players that transferred in the first window transfer again in the second window, sometimes back to their original school.

The transfer portal is a crucial part of the offseason, and we will be hearing a lot about it from now until the end of the spring.

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