Former Badgers DE Announces Transfer Destination
Former Wisconsin Badgers defensive end Darian Varner announced on Sunday that he intends to transfer to the University of Cincinnati.
Varner made the announcement on social media wearing a Bearcats uniform.
The players set to transfer away from the Badgers are quickly finding landing spots. On Saturday, two offensive linemen made announcements of transfer destinations. Nolan Rucci is headed to Penn State while Dylan Barrett is headed to Iowa State.
Varner, a 6-foot-3, 275-pound end, transferred to Wisconsin after two seasons at Temple, where he was an All-American Athletic Conference performer in 2022 after registering 7.5 sacks for the Owls.
But that talent never translated to the Badgers. He only played in three games and made five tackles before announcing his intention to transfer last month. Because he’s a graduate, Varner should be able to play immediately for the Bearcats.
A member of the 2020 recruiting class, he had 10.5 sacks in three seasons at Temple. He played his high school football at Maury High School in Norfolk, Va.
He goes to a Cincinnati team looking to upgrade across the board after a 3-8 season in 2023, their first under new coach Scott Satterfield. Former Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell is now the coach at Wisconsin, and he led the Badgers to a 7-6 season, which ended with a 35-31 loss to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Under Fickell, Cincinnati went 57-18, won two AAC titles and became the first non-power conference program to earn an invitation to the College Football Playoff.
As of Sunday, 11 players have declared their intent to transfer from Wisconsin, including Rucci, Barrett and Varner. The other eight are linebacker Kaden Johnson, quarterback Myles Burkett, wide receivers Chimere Dike and Skyler Bell, defensive end Rodas Johnson, and linebackers Jordan Turner and Jordan Mayer.
Meanwhile, 10 players have committed to join the Badgers in 2024, including linebackers Jaheim Thomas (Arkansas), Leon Lowery (Syracuse), Jahsian Galvin (Northern Iowa), Sebastian Cheeks (North Carolina) and John Pius (William & Mary), along with running back Tawee Walker (Oklahoma), Tyrell Henry (Michigan State), Jackson McGowan (LSU), quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (Miami FL)) and long snapper Cayson Pfeiffer (Cincinnati).
