Wisconsin football starting safety confirms return for 2025 season
Badgers starting safety Preston Zachman announced he's returning to the Wisconsin football team for a sixth and final season.
The Wisconsin Badgers football program received some encouraging news with the return of an experienced member of its secondary.
Starting safety Preston Zachman has announced he’ll return to Wisconsin for the 2025 college football season, using his final year of eligibility.
“Jobs not finished,” Zachman wrote in a social media post.
The 6-foot-1, 212-pound safety is coming off his best season donning the Cardinal and White, where he recorded 58 total tackles (39 solo), 13 stops, six pass deflections, 2.5 TFLs, two picks, and a pair of pressures in 12 games.
According to Pro Football Focus, Zachman emerged as one of Wisconsin's most well-rounded defenders in 2024. He earned an 80.3 overall defensive grade—the second-highest on the team. In his first season playing under position coach Alex Grinch, he made an impact across the board, posting a 79.0 grade against the run and an 80.0 in coverage.
Digging deeper into PFF's stable metrics, I noticed that Zachman’s other numbers were equally impressive on a national level. He ranked in the 88th percentile for overall coverage grade and the 75th percentile in run defense, underlining his versatility, although his best spot is at free safety.
He also finished in the 82nd percentile for missed tackle rate (8.6%), further cementing himself as one of the team’s most dependable tacklers.
Zachman's return comes at a good time for the Badgers, considering the amount of turnover Wisconsin has had in the secondary this offseason since the portal opened on Dec. 9. Amare Snowden, Jonas Duclona, Braedyn Moore, Max Lofy, Kamo'i Latu, Justin Taylor, and Jace Arnold all left to explore different opportunities.
A former three-star recruit in the class of 2020 out of Pennslyvania, Zachman initially chose the Badgers over scholarship offers from Army, Kent State, Holy Cross, Cornell, Air Force, Colgate, and several others.
Zachman has appeared in 32 games during his career and registered 118 total tackles, 4.0 TFLs, 13 pass deflections, and five interceptions.
His return provides a steadying presence to a defense that desperately needs veteran leadership and experience. Notably, Austin Brown is the only returning player who saw meaningful snaps at safety in 2024.
Since then, the Badgers have added Richmond safety Matthew Traynor from the transfer portal to add depth. He will join a room that includes Raphael Dunn, a handful of walk-ons, and incoming freshmen Grant Dean, Luke Emmerich, and Remington Moss from the 2025 recruiting class.
Zachman’s decision to come back offers much-needed stability as Wisconsin works to replenish its secondary through the transfer portal. His presence will be vital for a defense aiming to solidify its back end in 2025 following the loss of Hunter Wohler to graduation.
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