Wisconsin Bets on a Dual-Threat Transfer and a Made-Over Roster to Climb Out of the Big Ten Basement
Wisconsin bottomed out at 4-8 (2-7 Big Ten) in 2025, fielding the worst scoring offense and worst passing attack in the Power 4 after a season-opening knee injury to Billy Edwards Jr. sent the year into a spiral. Luke Fickell, now in his fourth season and 17-21 in Madison against an 80-46 career mark, answered with a wholesale rebuild, importing transfers at nearly every position and turning to a portal quarterback for the fourth consecutive year. The pressure to win now sits squarely on Fickell, and the offense he handed to coordinator Jeff Grimes looks deeper and more explosive on paper, even if it comes with heavy projection.
Offense
Colton Joseph is the fulcrum of the whole operation. The Old Dominion transfer and reigning Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year threw for more than 4,200 yards and 32 touchdowns across two seasons with the Monarchs while adding another 1,654 yards and 24 scores on the ground. His 1,007 rushing yards last season ranked among the top marks for quarterbacks in the country, and he produced more runs of 10-plus yards by himself (37) than Wisconsin managed as a team (33). Grimes built his wide-zone system around quarterback runs and play-action shots down the field, exactly the explosiveness this offense lacked. Improving Joseph's pocket presence was a spring focus, and prized freshman recruit Ryan Hopkins turned heads behind him, with Deuce Adams also in the room.
The passing game must find a true No. 1 target. Chris Brooks Jr. and Eugene Hilton return as the most established options and should be aided by newcomers, including Oklahoma State transfer Shamar Rigby and Malachi Coleman, a length-and-upside addition from Nebraska who competes for rotation snaps but has yet to prove he can carry a room. Tyrell Henry adds veteran depth. The receiver corps rates as an underwhelming group overall, but the tight ends may be the strongest unit in the offense, with Jacob Harris and Emmett Bork giving Grimes reason to lean on heavier two-tight-end looks.
Between Joseph's legs, a rebuilt line and a stable of tailbacks, this should be a physical running team. Iowa State transfer Abu Sama III leads the new backfield after piling up 1,933 yards and 13 touchdowns over three seasons with the Cyclones; strong and stocky, he fits a run-heavy plan. USC transfer Bryan Jackson II and TCU transfer Nate Palmer add bodies, while holdover Darrion Dupree returns after leading last year's banged-up group. The infusion of talent should steady a backfield that fell apart down the stretch in 2025.
Wisconsin's line, long the program's calling card, has slipped and gets a portal overhaul with roughly five transfer additions. Guards Colin Cubberly and Emerson Mandell return as the anchors after starting throughout last season, with Mandell the more intriguing pro prospect thanks to his size and 12 starts of experience. Oklahoma State transfer Austin Kawecki, a proven starter, steps in at center, PJ Wilkins arrives to handle left tackle, and Kevin Heywood returns at tackle after a redshirt year. The group projects as more stable and talented, though it must gel quickly against Big Ten fronts.
Defense
The defense returns just one starter, so the front leans on a mix of transfers and homegrown risers. West Virginia transfer Hammond Russell IV and returning senior Charles Perkins are slated for prominent roles up front, with Junior Poyser and Nolan Vils in the rotation. Off the edge, senior Sebastian Cheeks headlines the pass rush alongside veteran Tyrese Fearbry, and the group's ceiling hinges on the development of homegrown rushers such as Nicolas Clayton and Jaylen Williams. If those two elevate the rush, Wisconsin can build on a front that quietly finished among the national leaders in run defense and sacks a year ago. Whether a true pure pass rusher emerges is the open question.
The inside linebacker duo of Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano may be the best in the Big Ten and was the program's biggest retention win. Both broke through as freshmen: Posa started five games and led the team with 61 tackles, including four sacks, while Catalano added 56 stops in four starts. Wisconsin signed multiple inside linebackers specifically so it can slide Posa into pass-rush and situational roles that get him near the ball, with Thomas Heiberger and Jon Jon Kamara adding depth behind the headliners.
Pass defense was the clear weakness in 2025, and the secondary was rebuilt almost entirely through the portal, arriving longer and faster with more high-end talent. Cornerbacks Cai Bates, Eric Fletcher Jr. and Arizona State transfer Javan Robinson figure into major roles, joined by Bryce West at nickel after his stint at Ohio State. Missouri transfer Marvin Burks Jr., a 13-game starter for the Tigers, brings the experience the safety group lacked. Matthew Jung, the defense's only returning starter, anchors the back end after a 50-tackle season, and freshman Jai'mier Scott is in the mix. The talent is upgraded, but the unit must prove it can hold up in Big Ten play.
Fickell invested in the third phase for the first time, hiring a full-time special teams coordinator in veteran Bob Ligashesky away from a division rival. Gavin Lahm takes over placekicking after redshirting to preserve eligibility and has flashed a big leg as a kickoff specialist. Sean West and Ethan Tranel compete at punter, and Tyrell Henry handles return duties. Punt returns are the glaring fix, as Wisconsin averaged just 7.8 yards on 12 attempts and too often opted for fair catches.
Overview and Prediction
The schedule sets up as a genuine break. Wisconsin opens against Notre Dame at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, but the Big Ten slate is far more manageable than the brutal 2025 gauntlet, and the Badgers avoid the conference's heavyweights in Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana. That softer draw, the position-coach hires and a roster revamped almost everywhere point the program back toward respectability. The preseason consensus slots Wisconsin near the bottom third of the Big Ten, roughly 13th in the league, with one view tabbing the Badgers a most-improved candidate capable of nearly doubling the win total.
The verdict is measured optimism. There are simply too many new and unproven faces in pivotal spots to bank on a dramatic leap, and translating Group of Five and FCS production to the Big Ten is never automatic. A better record is well within reach, and if Joseph's dual-threat game carries over and the retooled secondary holds up, bowl eligibility is realistic. The make-or-break is the passing game: Wisconsin has the run game and the linebackers to be competitive, but it needs Joseph to lift the worst aerial attack in the Power 4 into something respectable. Wisconsin should improve, without yet being a Big Ten contender.