Wisconsin football lands Toledo transfer long snapper James Roe
Former Toledo long snapper James Roe has committed to the Wisconsin Badgers through the transfer portal.
The Wisconsin football program has addressed an important spot on its roster, adding an experienced long snapper to the special teams unit.
Former Toledo long snapper James Roe has committed to the Badgers, giving Wisconsin a proven option who can come in and compete for the starting job following the graduation of Nick Levy. Roe announced his decision after an official visit to Madison, where the coaching staff moved quickly to identify, evaluate, and secure its next answer at the position.
After a great official visit, I am blessed to have been offered and to have signed with Wisconsin! Thank you, Coach Mitchell and Coach Cibene, for this opportunity‼️,” Roe wrote.
Roe arrives from the Toledo Rockets with real game experience. He was a two-year starter for the Rockets, appearing in 26 career games, and earned Pro Football Focus CFN Freshman All-American honors in 2024.
According to Pro Football Focus, Roe logged 110 snaps during the 2024 season and 128 more in 2025, totaling 238 special teams snaps. Of those, 123 came on punt coverage and 115 on the field goal and PAT units. Roe has also recorded four total tackles (one solo) and recovered a fumble.
That matters at a position where reliability is everything, and mistakes made by specialists are magnified. In a perfect world, a fan would only know the long snapper’s name if something had gone horribly wrong — or if he’s sprinting downfield to help pin an opponent deep in punt coverage.
His background checks out across the board.
Coming out of high school, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound specialist was ranked as a 4.5-star long snapper by Kohl’s Snapping and earned first-team all-region honors at North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, Georgia.
The timing makes sense.
Special teams are undergoing a reset heading into 2026. Wisconsin loses Levy at long snapper and placekicker Nathanial Vakos to graduation, while punter Atticus Bertrams entered the transfer portal this offseason.
The Badgers are set to return Gavin Lahm, who competed with Vakos for the starting job in fall camp, redshirted, and now enters 2026 as the favorite to handle placekicking and kickoff duties, along with Sean West, who earned the punting job last season and brings proven production.
West averaged 47.7 yards per punt on 25 attempts, posted a long of 62 yards, and recorded 14 punts of 50-plus yards, giving Wisconsin’s staff a legitimate weapon that can help flip field position. Locking in a dependable long snapper to pair with that matters more than you’d think.
Roe now joins Andrew Goodman and Deed Capper as the long snappers on the roster. Neither saw game action in 2025, which gives Roe a clear opportunity to compete and potentially step into the role from day one.
This isn’t a flashy addition, and it’s not meant to be.
It’s a practical, necessary move that stabilizes a foundational position on special teams. For Wisconsin, that’s the theme of the offseason. Fix what needs fixing. Reduce uncertainty. Don’t let the margins decide games.
Head coach Luke Fickell has been on record saying he believes the “punt is the most important play in football.” If that’s the case, then making sure the ball gets back to West cleanly every time — so he can flip the field — needed to be high on the priority list for the Badgers’ special teams unit.
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