Wisconsin football lands Missouri transfer safety Marvin Burks Jr.
Former Missouri safety Marvin Burks Jr. has committed to the Wisconsin Badgers through the transfer portal.
The Wisconsin football program added another important piece to its defense through the transfer portal, bringing in an experienced safety who can step in and compete for a starting role on the back end.
Former Missouri safety Marvin Burks Jr. has committed to the Badgers, giving Wisconsin an experienced defensive back who has played at a high level and the versatility to play multiple roles in the secondary.
“Got us a building block from My crib -📍ST. LOUIS! Coop & crew gon hold it down! #OnWisconsin,” Robert Steeples wrote.
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Burks is a St. Louis (MO.) native who played his high school football at Cardinal Ritter before beginning his career at Missouri. His trajectory there matters. Burks played early, played often, and steadily grew into a reliable piece for the Tigers’ defense.
As a freshman, Burks appeared in all 13 games and logged 130 defensive snaps, finishing with 16 total tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, and one fumble recovery, while gaining early exposure to SEC speed and physicality.
That role expanded significantly as a sophomore in 2024, when Burks started all 13 games for Missouri and finished with 66 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, an interception, and two pass breakups while playing 552 snaps.
Last season, Burks took another step forward. As a junior in 2025, he again started all 13 games, recording 49 total tackles (27 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, an interception returned for a touchdown, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup. He logged 605 total snaps and served as a steady presence on the back end of Missouri’s defense.
The advanced data helps explain why Wisconsin targeted him.
According to Pro Football Focus, Burks finished the season with a 73.9 overall defensive grade, including a strong 77.4 mark as a run defender and a 72.8 coverage grade. His 60.8 tackling grade and 17.6% missed tackle rate leave room for improvement, but context matters. Burks wasn’t often targeted in coverage (13 targets all season), and Missouri trusted him to align the secondary and handle assignments across multiple spots. While primarily a free safety, he also saw snaps in the slot and in the box.
That versatility matters given Wisconsin’s situation.
The Badgers entered the offseason needing to restock the safety room with talent after losing Preston Zachman to the transfer portal and graduating Austin Brown. While Wisconsin returns Matt Jung and has promising young players like Luke Emmerick and Grant Dean, there was a clear need to add experience. The staff has already brought in Iowa State transfer Carson Van Dinter, and Burks now joins that mix as someone capable of competing immediately, if not stepping into a starting role.
This is the type of addition that raises the floor of a defense.
Burks gives Wisconsin a battle-tested safety from the SEC who has played meaningful snaps every season of his career, understands high-level defensive structures, and can be trusted to communicate and execute on the back end. As the Badgers continue shaping their roster, this pickup feels less about upside projection and more about certainty.
For a defense that needed experience and plug-and-play ability at safety, Burks seemingly checks both of those boxes.
We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.
You can also follow Site Publisher Dillon Graff at @DillonGraff on X.