Parker Petersen grew up idolizing J.J. Watt, so part of his decision to commit to the University of Wisconsin football program was partly personal.
The other factor was having the chance to play in the Big Ten. Petersen, who played on Tulane's defensive line from 2021-24, ensured he wasn't downplaying the level of competition faced by the Green Wave, but he thought the conference was probably the best in college football.
"Actually, I would say that was the more important thing, was getting to play against teams like Oregon and Bama at Alabama this year," Petersen said. "I mean, Michigan at Michigan. Just sets the stage for me to really kind of bet on myself and believe in my abilities to play in front of a larger crowd against higher competition."
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Wisconsin succeeded in landing 16 commits in the first two weeks of the transfer portal being open, and 10 will look to prove themselves at the Power Four level. Petersen, fellow defensive lineman Corey Walker (Western Michigan), quarterback Danny O'Neil (San Diego State) and tight end Tanner Koziol (Ball State) played at Group of Five programs.
Five transfers -- wide receiver Mark Hamper (Idaho), defensive linemen Charles Perkins (UT-Martin) and Micheal Turner (Grambling State), safety Matthew Traynor (Richmond) and inside linebacker Antarron Turner (Western Carolina) -- come from the FCS ranks. Safety Matt Jung, a Neenah native, quickly jumped on a Wisconsin offer and committed after a season in which he was named a Division III All-American and defensive player of the year by the Associated Press.
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"Coming out of high school, my head coach, coach (Cedric) Miller, always told everybody I was a Power Five type of kid," Perkins said. "Which I didn't go Power Five because COVID year, I didn't have an 11th grade season, only a 12th grade season.
"So I was not getting highly recruited out of high school. That's why I ended up at UT-Martin. So when I got to Martin, I told myself that I can play Power Five ball, so I dominated every year that I've been there, and look where I'm at now, Power Five."
Here are five takeaways from since the transfer portal opened.
Wide net cast for a quarterback
Dominoes continue to fall in the Wisconsin quarterback group, which is going to feature an entirely different lineup of scholarship players next fall. Out are Tyler Van Dyke, Braedyn Locke, Mabrey Mettauer and Cole LaCrue, the first three of whom made up Nos. 1-3 on the depth chart in 2024. Transferring in are Billy Edwards Jr. (Maryland) and O'Neil (San Diego State), who look to be the Nos. 1-2 in 2025, barring a quick ascent from four-star freshman Carter Smith.
Wisconsin likely needs to get one more quarterback from the portal to fill out the room, but there's no guarantee that addition needs to be made this winter. The Badgers could wait for the transfer window that follows spring practices to add what's likely to be a developmental player.
A BadgerExtra source said that Wisconsin was at least in contact with more than a dozen quarterbacks early in the transfer window, but Edwards was someone the staff circled early on as a priority because they believed his personality and skills fit the direction Wisconsin wants to go. O'Neil brought similar aspects, as well as a year of starting experience as a freshman.
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Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes said mobility is a piece of what the Badgers were looking for, as was toughness. Edwards and O'Neil have shown both of those traits in their seasons as a starter.
"I think (mobility is) huge in any football now -- there just aren't many teams that are playing with guys back there who are stuck in one place," Grimes said in an interview with team radio broadcaster Mark Tauscher. "That's not the way the game is going. I've played with some guys who are more mobile or less mobile, but I think they've got to be able to get out of trouble and they've got to be able to present some form of run threat to the defense at some point. Some certainly more than others, but if you're not doing that then I think you're giving one piece of the game to the defense. So certainly we would like a guy that's got some athleticism, and that can mean a number of different things.
"But we want a guy that's going to be tough, a guy that's going to be a really strong leader, and a guy that you're going to, I don't know ... I hope that that guy would be a guy that you feel when you watch him, like you feel his passion for the game, you feel his his energy. I just think when you watch a guy play the game that loves the game and loves his team, you kind of feel it."
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Wisconsin needs to add cornerbacks
The Badgers signed two 2025 cornerbacks during the early signing period, but there's been major attrition from Paul Haynes' cornerback group this offseason that needs to be addressed. Three 2023 signees -- Jace Arnold, Jonas Duclona and Amare Snowden -- entered the transfer portal (Duclona committed to South Florida, while Snowden landed at Toledo).
Wisconsin announced Nyzier Fourqurean accepted an invitation to the Hula Bowl All-Star game, while RJ Delancy III declared his intentions to play in the NFL. There's still no public indication if Ricardo Hallman will return for his redshirt senior season in 2025.
To top it off in a shocking development, four-star freshman cornerback Xavier Lucas announced last week that he was portal bound. Lucas, who was one of Wisconsin's biggest recruiting wins in the 2024 class, became a key contributor at the boundary corner spot. PFF graded him as the highest-ranked defensive player on the team.
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Only five scholarship cornerbacks -- four in their first or second years at Wisconsin next season -- would remain if Hallman returns. Experience is greatly needed.
Wisconsin beefed up its defensive line
The Badgers accomplished getting bigger with Walker (listed 6 foot 5, 270 pounds), Petersen (6-4, 301), Perkins (6-3, 300) and Garner (6-5, 230). But Wisconsin also addressed its most pressing need outside of quarterback within the first eight days of the portal opening up.
E.J. Whitlow's position group saw two key contributors, James Thompson Jr. and Curt Neal, both enter the transfer portal. Its most productive lineman, FCS transfer Elijah Hills (5½ tackles for loss, 3½ sacks in 2024), exhausted his eligibility.
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Another target could be Jay'viar Suggs, who played at Grand Valley State when Wisconsin outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell led the Division II program. Suggs was in Madison last weekend after his one season at LSU, according to his Instagram account. Idaho State's Logan George announced last week an offer from the Badgers, but he tweeted Monday that he committed to Ohio State.
Wisconsin addressed other key position groups early
The additions of Louisville's Mason Reiger (6-4, 250 pounds) and Kentucky's Tyreese Fearbry (6-5, 242) solidify the outside linebacker position with contributors Aaron Witt, Darryl Peterson and Sebastian Cheeks. Reiger proved he could get in the backfield at the Power Four level, contributing 6 tackles for loss that included 5 sacks in 2023. Fearbry is a former consensus four-star recruit in the 2022 class.
Wisconsin's tight ends were nearly non-existent in the passing game this season under former offensive coordinator Phil Longo, but the signing of Koziol provides a proven playmaker at the position. He caught 163 passes for 1,507 yards and 18 touchdowns between 2022-24.
Longo said in January 2023 that he liked to carry 11 or 12 wide receivers, but there hasn't been a clear indication of how many scholarship players in that unit will be needed under Grimes. Wisconsin saw leading receiver Will Pauling and rising senior CJ Williams depart for the portal, and the staff added Hamper and Jayden Ballard (Ohio State).
The inside linebacker group added an experienced player in Turner, who was recruited by Wisconsin for the "Mike" position after racking up 61 tackles, 6½ tackles for loss and 3 sacks during the 2023 season. He could provide more depth to a room losing starters Jake Chaney and Jaheim Thomas but returning Christian Alliegro and Southern Cal transfer Tackett Curtis.
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The transition to the Badgers' scheme may not be as daunting for Turner, who said the staff showed him film of what he was asked at Western Carolina and what is similar at Wisconsin.
"So they said that all I need to do is tweak a little bit of things here and there, and then I should be a good factor to them, but nothing's handed to me," Turner said. "So gotta come in and compete."
Offensive line seems stable
3 things to expect from Wisconsin football's new offense
Two key positions on offense won't have new faces next season, and that's made a major impact on the Badgers' activity in the transfer portal. Senior right tackle Riley Mahlman and senior center Jake Renfro are eschewing NFL chances and returning to Wisconsin, which is part of the reason the Badgers haven't been actively pursuing offensive linemen in the portal.
Wisconsin looks to have a replacement ready for Jack Nelson at left tackle after getting Kevin Heywood a good amount of work in games. That leaves the right guard position to fill from the starting line that stayed healthy for the second year in a row.
Badgers coaches appear confident in the O-line groups from the 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes and those players stepping into starting roles as soon as next season.
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