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Badgers starting offensive lineman transfers to Indiana to reunite with former Wisconsin OL coach

The Wisconsin Badgers starter will play for the Indiana Hoosiers and their offensive line coach who originally recruited him to Madison in the 2022 class.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin Badgers offensive lineman Joe Brunner (56) committed to the Indiana Hoosiers in the transfer portal.
Wisconsin Badgers offensive lineman Joe Brunner (56) committed to the Indiana Hoosiers in the transfer portal. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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When Wisconsin Badgers redshirt junior offensive lineman Joe Brunner walked with his teammates on Senior Day, the thought was that he might leave the program early for the NFL Draft.

Instead, he left via the transfer portal, and now he decided to reunite with his former Wisconsin offensive line coach.

On Wednesday, Brunner committed to the Indiana Hoosiers, who will be playing in the National Championship game this weekend.

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Brunner has been the Badgers' starting left guard the last two seasons, a mainstay on an offensive line that saw plenty of lineup changes around him during that span.

According to PFF, he did not allow a sack this season, giving up only two QB hits and seven hurries across his 12 starts.

He was Wisconsin's second highest-graded offensive lineman this season behind center Jake Renfro, who only played in four games due to injury.

Brunner was originally a four-star recruit coming out of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. He was ranked as a Top 10 interior offensive lineman in the country in the 2022 recruiting class.

He was recruited to the Badgers by then-offensive line coach Bob Bostad, who is also a Wisconsin native.

Related: New Badgers OL coach brings new confidence for Wisconsin linemen: 'I've never failed'

Bostad now coaches offensive line for Indiana, reuniting with Brunner through the transfer portal.

Guard play has been the weaker spot on the Hoosiers offensive line this season with an injury to their starting left guard.

Brunner should have an opportunity to compete to start on his new team, while Wisconsin looks to replace him with younger options along its offensive line.

New offensive line coach Eric Mateos added former Ole Miss guard P.J. Wilkins in the portal along with a new starting center and two young tackles.

Most of the starting jobs on the OL will be open competitions in spring and fall camp as the Badgers look to solidify the group that has seen plenty of change in the last few years.

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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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