Why This Wisconsin Forward Could Start a New Transfer Portal Trend for the Badgers

Wisconsin basketball head coach Greg Gard and his staff have had a tremendous run of success in the transfer portal, especially over the last three seasons.

Gard's greatest hits in the portal, namely Nick Boyd, John Tonje and AJ Storr, have all all been athletic guards or wings who can score at all three levels.

Many of his other successful transfer signings, including Max Klesmit, Braeden Carrington, Andrew Rohde, and Kamari McGee, are guards as well. Gard has largely operated with home-grown forwards, with Micah Potter being a notable exception.

The Australian rising junior Austin "Aussie" Rapp could be a catalyst for changing that.

After Wisconsin's stunning loss to High Point in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Rapp said: "There's no doubt I'll be back here next year. I love this group, I love the coaching staff. I'm so grateful to have this experience this year. They made me not only a better player but a better person."

Austin Rapp: "There's no doubt I'll be back here next year"#Badgers pic.twitter.com/E2BDv0Eupu
— Andrew Bandstra (@andrewbandstra) March 19, 2026

We'll get this out of the way first: that does not guarantee that Rapp returns to Madison. The transfer portal is an extremely volatile time, and things can change for players and programs on a dime. But all things considered, Rapp seems pretty likely to run it back in the Cardinal and White.

Outside of Potter, Rapp is by far Gard's most successful transfer forward. The next closest would be Xavier Amos and Chris Vogt, both of whom played very small rotational roles for the Badgers.

Like Potter (41 percent from deep in his Wisconsin career), Rapp can shoot. Though the Badgers' offense has evolved significantly since 2019-2021, Potter's playing days, both forwards are stretch bigs that are natural shooters from the outside.

Former Wisconsin Badgers forward Micah Potter. | IndyStar-Imagn Images

Rapp finished the season knocking down 36.3 percent of his triples. That's a respectable but not mind-blowing number — although he did have some mind-blowing shooting performances, like when he knocked five three-pointers in a row in what was nearly a miraculous comeback against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament.

With two years of eligibility remaining, Rapp is clearly a talented stretch forward whose best days could easily be ahead of him. For all the superstars Wisconsin has scored in the transfer portal, that kind of player is someone the Badgers' haven't consistently landed.

Gard has done a good job of developing home-grown bigs recently; Tyler Wahl, Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter, to name a few. Freshman Will Garlock got some playing time this season, and Aleksas Bieliauskas (again — assuming both stick around) showed plenty of promise in his freshman season out of Lithuania.

Who could be Austin Rapp 2.0?

Nevertheless, the Badgers are going to need help in all areas this offseason. Even in the unlikely event that Wisconsin can retain all four big men currently on its roster for 2026-27, that's not enough bodies in the frontcourt.

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

The Badgers' modernized offense favors big men that can knock down threes because of the way it's predicated on a brisk tempo and spacing, and also due to the sheer volume of long-distance shots. If they deploy a more traditional, back-to-the-basket big man, he better be able to pull it from deep — Crowl, for example, shot over 40 percent from distance in his final two seasons in Madison.

Rapp is the first transfer portal forward in the current rendition of Wisconsin's offense that's made a big impact. But given how the Badgers play, and given their current roster needs, it sure seems like he won't be the last.

Though he lost his starting job, Rapp became a critical X-factor for Wisconsin down the stretch with his tendency to get scorching hot from deep. His success in what's been a prolific Badgers' offense could be the catalyst that opens the floodgates for more skilled big men to make their way to Madison via the transfer portal.