Four Key Holes the Badgers Must Fill
As the January transfer portal window looms, Wisconsin faces critical shortages across four position groups. Season-ending injuries and portal departures have left the quarterback room shorthanded despite Carter Smith’s flashes of dual-threat promise. The entire cornerback corps lacks upperclassmen after Nyzier Fourqurean’s eligibility saga and Ricardo Hallman’s downturn, forcing reliance on untested freshmen. A once-deep wide receiver group has thinned to just Chris Brooks and Tyrell Henry, spotlighting a dire need for speed, size and depth. Though the defensive line impressed by cutting opponents to 105 rushing yards per game in 2025, the loss of four veteran linemen will require proven replacements to sustain that run-stopping prowess.
Welcome to Madison’s annual “Roster Hole Creation Festival,” where Luke Fickell showcases his unrivaled talent for engineering positional crises and then frantically patching them with enthusiastic internet clicks. If quarterbacks were snowflakes, Wisconsin’s beanie game would be exemplary. Cornerbacks? Treat them like vintage collectibles—prized until they break and are off to eBay. Wideouts? Two survivors remain, laughing nervously while scanning the portal for redemption. And the defensive line? Those four departing seniors probably got lost on the way to the exit, leaving behind a gaggle of rookies armed with optimism and zero college snaps. Strap in, fans—it’s going to be a chaotic shopping spree.
SEC Lineman Could Haul His Gear to Madison
New offensive line coach Eric Mateos, fresh from Arkansas, may recruit his former protégé, guard Blake Cherry, through the portal. Cherry, a three-star freshman who saw 25 snaps on offense and contributed on special teams, announced his transfer intentions and brings three years of eligibility. Ranked among the top interior linemen in the 2025 class by ESPN and 247Sports, Cherry would join a Badger front that has questions at left guard, right guard and center as Joe Brunner mulls his next move and Jake Renfro seeks a medical redshirt. Wisconsin hopes Cherry’s familiarity with Mateos’s schemes can accelerate his path to the starting lineup.
Nothing says “we mean business” like recruiting a kid who once held a pigskin for 25 snaps and maybe got his jersey dirty on special teams. Why chase established stars when you can practice your handshake on a prospect whose main stat was “played three snaps against Ole Miss”? This strategy, known in coaching circles as “Bring Your Coach’s BFF,” ensures that at least one lineman will know the playbook—and possibly where the vending machines are. Fans should prepare to chant “Hire the tag-along” as Wisconsin attempts to manufacture cohesion via recycled tape of Arkansas walkthroughs.
Badgers’ Signal-Caller Heads for the Exit Ramp
Senior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who won the season opener but suffered a grade 3 PCL strain that sidelined him after two games, has officially entered the transfer portal while applying for a medical redshirt. Edwards completed 6-of-13 passes for 68 yards in his lone full appearance before knee instability ended his season. His departure follows Tyler Van Dyke’s portal exit and underscores a troubling trend of Wisconsin starters missing extended time. The Badgers finished 135th in points per game and yards per game, with emergency punter Sean White briefly leading the passing attack in an upset win over Washington. UW enters spring relying on Danny O’Neil and Carter Smith but will aggressively pursue veteran portal quarterbacks on Jan. 2.
In a move that astonishes exactly no one, Wisconsin’s quarterback lineup has achieved two years of consecutive medical mysteries. Billy Edwards Jr. has bravely declared “I can no longer dodge linebackers” in an industry-standard performance art piece known as “the transfer portal sashay.” Meanwhile, offensive efficiency plummeted so severely the punter got his one completion listed in the record book. If only Wisconsin could obtain a seasoned signal-caller in the portal who also doubles as a medical surgeon—one who patches knees and slings touchdowns. But until then, cue the chant: “Next quarterback, please!”
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