Wisconsin football lands Hope College transfer edge Liam Danitz
Former Hope College pass rusher Liam Danitz has committed to the Wisconsin Badgers through the transfer portal.
The Wisconsin football program is once again betting on physical traits, competitiveness, and production translating from the Division III level.
Former Hope College edge rusher Liam Danitz has committed to the Badgers, giving Wisconsin one of the most productive and intriguing small-college defenders in the transfer portal to work with next season.
The 6-foot-5, 227-pound edge arrives in Madison after a dominant final season at the Division III level and will have one year of eligibility left.
Danitz didn’t just pop last season — he exploded.
During the 2025 season, Danitz finished with 46 total tackles (25 solo), 21 tackles for loss, and 15 sacks, numbers that forced Power Four programs to take notice. He was named AFCA First Team All-American, Walter Camp First Team All-American, AP Third Team All-American, and earned MIAA Defensive Player of the Year honors after terrorizing opposing backfields all season. Notably, he recorded at least 0.5 sacks in all but one game.
Over his collegiate career, Danitz appeared in 31 games for the Flying Dutchmen, totaling 98 tackles (47 solo), 39.5 tackles for loss, 27 sacks, one pass deflection, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
That production wasn’t empty.
On film, Danitz plays like someone who knows exactly who he is. He plays fast. He plays violently. And he plays with intent. His get-off on the edge stands out immediately, but so does Danitz’s willingness to compete snap after snap. This isn’t just a speed rusher hunting counting stats; it’s a defender with a motor who consistently finds ways to make an impact.
The athletic profile explains why Wisconsin moved quickly.
Danitz is also a decorated track athlete, earning Division III All-American honors as a sprinter. He’s been clocked at an impressive 10.55 in the 100-meter dash and a 20.92 in the 200, rare numbers for an athlete pushing 230 pounds. That straight-line speed shows up on tape, especially when he turns pressure into sacks and backside pursuit into tackles for loss.
Wisconsin wasn’t alone in seeing it.
Danitz’s recruitment picked up pretty rapidly once he entered the transfer portal, announcing scholarship offers from Ole Miss, UCLA, Louisiana Tech, Utah, Cal, Missouri, James Madison, and West Virginia, among others. He reportedly had additional visits planned, but committed during his trip to Madison, where the Badgers staff sold both opportunity and fit.
The timing lines up with the room’s needs.
Wisconsin has been busy retooling its outside linebacker group after losing significant production with the graduation of starting edge rushers Mason Reiger and Darryl Peterson. Danitz joins a room that brings back veterans Sebastian Cheeks and Tyreese Fearbry, continues developing high-upside young talent like Nicolas Clayton, and has added Arkansas transfer Justus Boone along with former Tennessee edge Jayden Loftin.
The coaching staff is clearly looking to stock the edge room with players who can win in different ways: size, speed, effort, and versatility — rather than leaning on a single archetype. Matt Mitchell wants to be multiple.
This feels like a gamble worth taking.
For the second straight offseason, Wisconsin’s staff dipped into the lower divisions to find players who dominated where they were and is trusting their traits can translate to the Big Ten. Danitz isn’t coming in with any guarantees that he’ll have a starting spot. He’s coming in with high-level production and a skill set that gives him a real chance to carve out a role if he proves that he can handle the physical jump and acclimate fast.
Low risk. Real upside.
If the traits can translate and the motor holds up against Big Ten caliber competition, Wisconsin may have added a rare physical profile to its edge room. There simply aren’t many players on the planet built like Danitz who can move the way the Michigan native does, and he now enters a wide-open competition where adding upside on the edge was a clear priority.
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