Ranking Every Transfer Portal Signee in the Greg Gard Era

It goes without saying that Wisconsin Basketball head coach Greg Gard has seen significant change to the college sports landscape since his first season 11 years ago.

In the 2015-26 campaign, his debut full season, the transfer portal was years away from being the free agent frenzy it is today. NIL didn't exist yet. Roster turnover on a yearly basis was significantly less hectic.

Now, teams sign entire starting fives out of the transfer portal as millions of dollars are dished out to star players looking for a fresh start and a sizable pay stub.

All in all, Gard has signed 15 players out of the transfer portal. Below, we rank each signee from worst to best:

15. Elijah Gray, F (Temple)

Stats : N/A

Gray was dismissed from the team before he even played a minute due to his connection to a gambling scandal when he was at Temple. Every other transfer saw the court at least briefly.

14. Camren Hunter, G (Central Arkansas)

Stats: 1 Year/11 Games/0 Starts | 2.1 min | 0.3 points | 0.5 rebounds | 0.1 assists

Hunter signed with the Badgers after two stellar years running point for Central Arkansas. However, his game didn't translate to the Big Ten and he was hardly involved, playing just 11 games for Wisconsin.

13. Jahcobi Neath, G (Wake Forest)

Stats: 2 Years/26 Games/1 Start | 9.7 min | 1.5 points | 1.3 rebounds | 0.3 assists

Neath came to Wisconsin after two years as a rotational player with the Demon Deacons, and he never evolved into something more with the Badgers. Neath is one of the more forgettable transfers the Badgers have signed under Gard; he never quite seemed to fit in Madison.

12. Isaac Lindsey, G, (UNLV)

Wisconsin guard Isaac Lindsey. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Stats: 3 Years/46 Games/0 Starts | 4.7 min | 1.0 points | 0.5 rebounds | 0.1 assists

Lindsey stuck around with Wisconsin for three years, which is why he's higher than other similarly un-impactful transfers on this list. Though he never played a significant role, he could be counted on as an end-of-the-bench guard piece or someone who could occasionally come in and hit a three out of nowhere.

11. Chris Vogt, F (Cincinnati)

Stats: 1 Year/33 Games/0 Starts | 12.8 minutes | 2.9 points | 3.1 rebounds | 0.6 assists

Vogt spent his fifth-year senior season with Wisconsin after stints at Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati. His stats aren't eye-popping, but he played his role as the third big man behind Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl quite well.

10. Xaver Amos, F, Northern Illinois

Stats: 1 Year/37 Games/0 Starts | 9.6 minutes | 3.5 points |1.8 rebounds | 0.4 assists

Amos flashed some intriguing ability in his one season with Wisconsin, notably his combination of size and shooting. He looked poised to increase his role in 2025-26 had he stuck around, but he transferred to Loyola Chicago where he earned a staring role and had a very solid season. Given his place in the rotation, Amos' departure wasn't the biggest deal. Still, he certainly had some potential if he remained in Madison.

9. Braeden Carrington, G, Tulsa

Wisconsin guard Braeden Carrington. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Stats: 1 Year/34 Games/0 Starts | 18.1 minutes | 8.3 points | 2.4 rebounds | 1.1 assists

Carrington had a quiet two years in Minnesota before emerging as a more consistent player for Tulsa before he spent his senior season in Madison. Carrington is the first on this list of many players whom Gard got the best out of; with the Badgers, he shot a career-best 40 percent from three and became a critical part of Wisconsin's high-flying 2025-26 offense.

8. Kamari McGee, G, UW-Green Bay

Stats: 3 Years/93 Games/4 Starts | 13.3 minutes | 3.6 points | 1.5 rebounds | 1.0 assists

McGee is of course a transfer like the rest of the players on this list, but he feels more like a home-grown product. The Racine native spent his freshman season at UW-Green Bay before transferring to the Badgers. It took him a couple seasons to get acclimated to Big Ten competition, but by his senior year, he'd developed into a reliable backup point guard who was a sneaky lights-out shooter from three (46 percent from distance in 2024-25).

7. Andrew Rohde, G Virginia

Stats: 1 Year/34 Games/34 Starts | 5.7 points | 2.1 rebounds | 2.9 assists

Rohde started every game in his brief but successful Wisconsin career. He was never a big-time scorer, but he did all of the little things very well. He was one of the best passers on the team in 2025-26 and was arguably the best on-ball defender. Rohde did everything that was asked of him; no more, no less.

6. Austin Rapp, F, Portland

Wisconsin Badgers forward Austin Rapp. | David Banks-Imagn Images

Stats: 1 Year/30 Games/12 Starts | 9.7 points | 4.0 rebounds | 1.6 assists

If the last year was Rapp's lone campaign with the Badgers, he'd be lower on this list. But the Australian forward has already committed to returning to Wisconsin for his junior season, and he should continue to take strides and has a chance to move even higher up this list when all is said and done. If Rapp can continue to improve his defense and paint presence, he could be a extremely dangerous player next season.

5. Micah Potter, F, Ohio State

Stats: 2 Years/52 Games/23 Starts | 11.6 points | 6.1 rebounds | 1.0 assists

Potter was the first transfer Gard ever signed, and it's safe to say he was one of the best. He became a fixture for the Badgers, especially in his senior season. His shooting ability as a 6-foot-10 big man was impressive, and all told he posted 51/41/85 shooting splits across two seasons in Madison.

4. Max Klesmit, G, Wofford

Stats: 3 Years/102 Games/102 Starts | 28.3 minutes | 12.3 points | 2.8 rebounds | 1.6 assists

Longevity is a big reason why Klesmit is high on this list. He played three full seasons for Wisconsin and started every game. He was a consistently steady, veteran presence, feisty on the defensive end and with a tendency to get hot from three. Klesmit wasn't a superstar, but anytime you can get over 100 starts out of a transfer, that's a highly successful signing.

3. AJ Storr, G, St. John's

Stats: 1 Year/36 Games/36 Starts | 28.8 minutes | 16.8 points | 3.9 rebounds | 0.9 assists

Storr is one of Gard's most important transfer signees. He came to Madison and proved that an athletic wing could thrive in the Badgers' offense, which paved the way for Wisconsin's proceeding stellar transfer portal classes featuring similar players. At the time, Storr was Gard's best transfer, but he would top that the very next transfer portal cycle.

2. Nick Boyd, G, San Diego State

Stats: 1 Year/35 Games/35 Starts | 31.9 minutes | 20.7 points | 3.8 rebounds | 4.3 assists

There's certainly a very strong case to be made that Boyd deserves to be at the top of this list. Once again, Gard took a good player and made him great, turning the dynamic point guard into a superstar. Boyd's numbers speak for themselves, but his leadership and energy also seemed to percolate through the entire team.

1. John Tonje, G, Missouri

Wisconsin Badgers guard John Tonje. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Stats: 1 Year/37 Games/37 Starts | 31.1 minutes | 19.6 points | 5.3 rebounds | 1.8 assists

Tonje and Boyd are neck-and-neck at the top. But we'll give Tonje the slight edge here given his accolades: Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big Ten. Tonje is probably the poster child for Gard's transfer portal success, even after Boyd's breakthrough campaign.