3 Wisconsin football position groups with major questions after the transfer portal window
Wisconsin's staff overhauled its roster this offseason. Here are the position groups that still have significant questions to answer after the transfer portal window.
Spring practice usually brings optimism by default. This one comes with a little more uncertainty. The Wisconsin football program aggressively reshaped its roster this offseason, cycling out veteran production and replacing it with a mix of transfers, upside bets, and positional rebuilds.
The volume alone suggests urgency, but results still need to follow. Luke Fickell is entering Year 4 as head coach of the Badgers, with a 17–21 overall record, a 10–17 mark in Big Ten play, and back-to-back seasons without a bowl appearance. Patience within the fanbase is wearing thin, even after the administration has promised increased resources and a renewed commitment to winning. If this roster overhaul takes hold, there’s an opportunity to restore some goodwill. If it doesn’t, the pressure won’t just linger; it will force hard conversations about the program’s direction.
The question heading into spring isn’t whether or not Wisconsin’s staff replaced what walked out the door. The bigger question is whether it did enough not just to replace that production, but to elevate the roster enough to win games again and climb out of the Big Ten’s bottom tier.
“The great thing about last year is we got to experience what the very best looks like,” Fickell said, reflecting on Wisconsin’s 4–8 season in 2025.
“If I’m being honest, we are not there. There’s a gap between where they are and where we are. I think we closed some of that gap with talent. But that gap’s not completely closed. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
With that uncertainty in mind, here are the three position groups that still have questions to answer coming out of the transfer portal window.
