2 Big Portal Adds That Look Poised to Disappoint for Wisconsin Football

Wisconsin's sprawling 33-man incoming transfer class looks extremely solid.

The Badgers reloaded heavily, adding dozens of Power Four starters to a roster that desperately needed talent.

Unlike previous incoming transfer classes under head coach Luke Fickell, Wisconsin signed a litany of surefire, plug-and-play starters with experience at the highest levels of college football.

Still, not every incoming transfer is going to pan out. And a player signed for more of a longer-term developmental purpose, such as outside linebacker Jayden Loftin from Tennessee, shouldn't be considered a transfer portal bust if he simply doesn't play this year. A true transfer portal disappointment must've carried some hype as a portal prospect and also had a legitimate chance to play in year one.

With that being said, here's two players that could wind up being transfer portal disappointments for the Badgers:

OLB Liam Danitz (Hope College)

Wisconsin OLB Liam Danitz. | Christian Borman.

The former D-III standout and All-All American sprinter became a hot commodity in the portal overnight, blowing up for an impressive Hudl tape coupled with blazing fast track times. Power Four schools across the country, including several blue bloods, were intrigued.

Wisconsin managed to secure his commitment, and he joined a crowded, convoluted outside linebacker room behind the clear top player, Sebastian Cheeks. But with his speed off the edge and knack for flying into the backfield to pressure the quarterback, even if it came at the D-III level, Danitz had a legit shot to become one of the Badgers' top SAM outside backers.

That just hasn't transpired thus far. Danitz was pretty invisible at the practices I covered, as he rolled with the third-team defense the vast majority of the time. He's put on some mass since arriving, but the 243 pounds he's listed at still feels a little generous.

Danitz is already in his fifth year of college ball; this is it for the former Hope College standout. Wisconsin isn't necessarily relying on Danitz this fall, but he doesn't appear close to having a meaningful role on defense.

WR Zion Kearney (Oklahoma)

Wisconsin wide receiver Zion Kearney. | Christian Borman.

Wisconsin had a lot of work to do on its wide receiver room this offseason, and to its credit, it managed to add five portal wideouts, including two (Kearney and Malachi Coleman) who were big-time, blue-chip prospects coming out of high school.

Kearney was a consensus four-star and On3/Rivals had him ranked as the No. 100 player in the entire country in the class of 2024. He committed to Oklahoma out of high school and spent two years in Norman, reeling in 10 catches for 161 yards and a score. However, he was still an afterthought in the Sooners' offense.

While the other former big-deal high school wideout the Badgers signed, Coleman, has flashed at camp and looks primed for at least a rotational role on the outside, Kearney may not crack the two-deep. That's disappointing for a player with his natural talent; namely his size/speed combination at 6-3 and blazing fast.

Others have flashed in Wisconsin's wide receiver room, but no one has yet to truly stake their claim as the alpha. Kearney may not have gotten the most opportunities to do that with Chris Brooks Jr and Tyrell Henry already locked into starting roles, but even a rotational role doesn't look to be in the cards for Kearney this fall.

Add us as a preferred source on Google