Badgers head coach Luke Fickell addressed the team’s future strategy at the Big Ten Media Days.
The Wisconsin Badgers were one of the most active teams in the transfer portal this offseason, adding over 20 transfers to replenish the depth they lost.
That was an increase for the Badgers, who had brought in 16 and 15 transfers in head coach Luke Fickell’s first two offseasons, respectively, as Wisconsin wanted more experience in the room.
The Badgers could have double-digit transfer starters in 2025, especially with Nyzier Fourqurean’s status now unclear, which is a shift from the team’s methodology of building via high school recruiting.
That coincides with a 2026 recruiting class that hasn’t been up to par thus far, with Wisconsin looking to go big and missing out on a number of key targets.
Is the transfer portal the answer for the Badgers going forward? Or will they continue to build rosters via high school recruiting?
“Wisconsin is and will continue to be a traditional football program,” head coach Luke Fickell said at the Big Ten Media Days last week. “I know this is a transactional world, especially with this new revenue sharing. But it’s really critical and important to me in all that we do, and the way that we continue to grow, that we focus upon the traditional things that have made the University of Wisconsin football program great, and we need to continue to build upon those things.
“And it starts with high school recruiting. We will still continue to be in our traditional mindset, but really, it comes down to trust and respect from within our program. It’s about relationships. That’s not going to change, even though we are entering into this transactional world. And it’s really about development, the development of 18 to 22-year-olds.”
In his speech, Fickell acknowledged that the team must develop NFL-caliber talent, which he was able to do at Cincinnati before landing the Wisconsin job.
But, that hasn’t happened just yet, as Wisconsin’s NFL Draft numbers have been declining. It’s been eight years since the team had a first-round pick, and the Badgers haven’t had a player selected higher than the fourth round during Fickell’s tenure.
They do have the baseline for it, though, thanks to strong recruiting classes in 2024 and 2025. Now, they must not only retain that talent, but also get those players on the field and develop them in order to see more program success.
Wisconsin is relying on more younger players this season. They’ll have underclassmen starters at running back (Dilin Jones, Darrion Dupree) and wide receiver (Trech Kekahuna), while the offensive line (Emerson Mandell, Kevin Heywood) and cornerback (Omillio Agard) could have options as well.
Still, a majority of those 2024 and 2025 classes have yet to see the field, which will likely come in a crucial 2026 season for Fickell and the Badgers.
In the current state of college football, development is Wisconsin’s path to return to a premier program. But, Fickell and his staff have to prove they’re up for the task, which hasn’t happened just yet.