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Wisconsin Badgers aren't the only school seeing major departures in transfer portal

Wisconsin Badgers fans are starting to panic about all of the team's players who have announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal. They're not the only team seeing a mass exodus.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin wide receiver Trech Kekahuna (2) is one of four Badgers receivers who has announced plans to enter the transfer portal this winter
Wisconsin wide receiver Trech Kekahuna (2) is one of four Badgers receivers who has announced plans to enter the transfer portal this winter | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers fans are starting to panic about all of the team's players who have announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal. They're not the only team seeing a mass exodus.

For Luke Fickell, the departures have been concentrated a few key positions so far.

Four different wide receivers have said they're going to explore their options in the portal, headlined by starter Trech Kekahuna and freshman Eugene Hilton.

Along with graduating seniors, the departures will leave Wisconsin with two scholarship wide receivers returning from last season, along with two new incoming freshmen.

The linebacker position has provided a similar cause for concern, with veterans Christian Alliegro and Tackett Curtis heading for the portal along with some backups.

The Badgers are in better shape there, with star freshmen Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano returning, but the position will be lacking in experience and depth regardless.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers predicted to miss out on top transfer portal QBs and stick with freshman

It can be easy for Badgers fans to fear that this is a disaster in the making for Wisconsin, but plenty of other schools are dealing with similar concentrations of players leaving.

Look no further than the No. 14 team in the country: Texas. As of Friday, the Longhorns have seen four different running back entering the portal, including their leading rusher and their top young backup.

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Texas was a fringe playoff team this season and is known as one of the big spenders in college football, and it is having some similar troubles to Wisconsin when it comes to retaining its players.

Then there are the teams who changed head coaches this offseason who are seeing dozens of players head for the portal.

This is not an issue that is unique to Fickell's current situation.

That's not to ignore it as a real concern, but it is an important reminder to wait until the transfer portal dust settles before judging the state of the Badgers roster.

The new portal era is still changing each year, and it's Fickell's job to figure out the best way to navigate those changes.

Don't be surprised if many players who enter the portal end up returning to their original teams as they sort out the market dynamics of the new college football world.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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