TCU transfer joined Wisconsin football for a chance to expand his game
Nate Palmer had limited opportunities at TCU. Now the Wisconsin running back believes he has a chance to show his complete game.
Nate Palmer didn’t transfer into the Wisconsin football program because he was promised a wide-open path to carries.
Quite the opposite.
The former TCU running back joined a room Wisconsin completely rebuilt around Darrion Dupree, adding Iowa State transfer Abu Sama, USC transfer Bryan Jackson and, later, JUCO transfer Julius “JuJu” Pope. Three practices into fall camp, first-year running backs coach Jayden Everett is still searching for a bell cow while finding roles for everyone else.
For Palmer, that’s part of what made Wisconsin appealing.
“I feel like we all have different games, different styles, but we all stand out in our own way,” Palmer told reporters. “We didn’t have a deep room like that in my old school. But here, I feel like we have a deep room that can do a lot of things with the ball and a lot of things for this offense.”
Palmer’s role is beginning to come into focus.
The 5-foot-10, 205-pound redshirt sophomore describes himself as more of a scat back, someone Wisconsin can create favorable matchups for in space, whether that’s releasing out of the backfield or lining up in empty formations.
“As you can see, I can run the ball as well, but I feel like where I stand out is in space,” Palmer said. “I can make people miss and just let my game talk for itself when I’m out in space.”
There wasn’t much opportunity for Palmer’s game to do that at TCU.
The Decatur (Tex.) product appeared in two games as a freshman and logged 23 offensive snaps before playing in 10 as a redshirt freshman last season, making one start. Palmer carried the ball just 30 times for 139 yards (4.6 YPC) in 2025, with his best performance coming in the season opener against North Carolina, when he rushed seven times for 61 yards.
Still, there were some encouraging signs within the limited sample.
According to Pro Football Focus, Palmer logged only 58 offensive snaps last season but earned a 69.4 overall offensive grade and a 73.6 rushing grade. Of Palmer’s 139 rushing yards, 107 came after contact. He forced nine missed tackles and produced four runs of at least 10 yards.
For his TCU career, Palmer finished with a modest 41 carries for 164 yards. That’s part of what brought him to Madison.
