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Wisconsin Badgers position battle cleared up by starter entering transfer portal

The Wisconsin Badgers were set to have another position battle up for grabs this offseason, but the returning starter from 2025 decided to enter the transfer portal, making Luke Fickell's decision easy.
Lorin Cox|
Oct 26, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers punter Atticus Bertrams runs for first down on a fake punt before being tackled by Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Dominic DeLuca (0) during the first quarter at Camp Randall Stadium.
Oct 26, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers punter Atticus Bertrams runs for first down on a fake punt before being tackled by Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Dominic DeLuca (0) during the first quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. | Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers were set to have another position battle up for grabs this offseason, but the returning starter from 2025 decided to enter the transfer portal, making Luke Fickell's decision easy.

On Saturday, punter Atticus Bertrams announced his intention to enter the portal with one season of eligibilty remaining.

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He was the Badgers' top punter all season, but as the year went on, Fickell and his staff started using backup punter Sean West more and more.

West became the team's distance punter, while Bertrams became the directional "coffin corner" specialist for shorter punts.

Bertrams attempted just one punt over the final three games of the season, setting the stage for the Australian junior to enter the portal.

Related: Is Luke Fickell's new recruiting strategy forward-thinking or a sign of desperation?

West used his first year of eligibility as a redshirt freshman, but his added power came with less consistency for the Badgers.

He shanked a few punts against Minnesota that hurt WIsconsin's field position battle, while Bertrams was more skilled at aiming punts to avoid return opportunities for other teams.

Fickell could still pursue another more experienced punter in the portal to compete with West, or it's possible that Bertrams still returns to Wisconsin after testing his options.

UW does have also have an incoming freshman walk-on kicker/punter Brady Mellum from in-state Sun Prairie East High School, though it would be a surprise to see him earn major opportunities so early in his career.

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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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