Wisconsin Badgers Big Transfer Portal Class Was Acknowledgement of Deep 'Holes' on Roster

The Wisconsin Badgers know they weren't anywhere close to good enough in 2025. Their transfer portal class of over 30 players was an acknowledgement of that.

It started with the athletic department pledging more money and support for the football program.

Then it became an intentional effort to boost the level of talent on the roster that was lacking this fall.

Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes confirmed that approach in a recent interview with ESPN Madison.

"The commitment from (athletic director Chris McIntosh) and the university to allow us to go out and do what we needed to do in this transfer portal window was significant," Grimes said. "We had a clear understanding of the fact that we needed to be better and understood how deep some of those holes were that we needed to fill."

“COACHES NEED TO BE BETTER. PLAYERS NEED TO BE BETTER.”@coachgrimey reflects on last season’s lessons and why Wisconsin’s increased commitment and portal aggression were necessary to fix roster gaps 🦡 pic.twitter.com/SVia3NVZRp
— ESPN Madison (@ESPNMadison) February 12, 2026

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Grimes didn't get into specifics about where the holes were on the roster, but it wasn't hard to see where some of the biggest deficiencies were in 2025.

Quarterback was the big one, with none of the Badgers four starters prodicing any kind of consistent play last season.

Running back, offensive line and cornerback also all saw some rough moments this season, and it's no surprise those groups saw significant turnover this offseason.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers transfer portal class is under pressure to save Luke Fickell's job

But Grimes also made sure to concede that the roster makeup wasn't the only problem.

"With our team, we recognized that we need to be better," Grimes said. "I think coaches need to be better. Players need to be better."

Luke Fickell fired offensive line coach A.J. Blazek after the season and replaced him with Eric Mateos from Arkansas.

Wisconsin also brought in a new cornerbacks coach, Eric Steeples, and moved former cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes to a broader title of secondary coach.

The running backs coach and wide receivers coach both left voluntarily for other jobs, creating a fair amount of turnover on the coaching staff in addition to the roster.

All of the new faces need to give the Badgers more in 2026 than they had in 2025.