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Wisconsin pursuing D-II defensive tackle in transfer portal with ties to Badgers roster

The pipeline from Division-II Grand Valley State to Wisconsin is strong and could produce another transfer player for the Badgers.
Lorin Cox|
Defensive lineman Jay'viar Suggs transferred to the Wisconsin Badgers after beginning his career at Division-II Grand Valley State.
Defensive lineman Jay'viar Suggs transferred to the Wisconsin Badgers after beginning his career at Division-II Grand Valley State. | Cody Scanlan/Holland Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Wisconsin Badgers

The pipeline from Division-II Grand Valley State to Wisconsin is strong and could produce another transfer player for the Badgers.

Lakers defensive tackle Jibriel Conde announced his plans to enter the transfer portal on Wednesday, and less than 24 hours later, he had an offer from Luke Fickell's coaching staff.

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The redshirt sophomore is set to visit the Madison for the final home game Saturday against Illinois.

This season at Grand Valley State, he racked up 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups and a fumble recovery.

Conde was teammates for one season with Badgers defensive tackle Jay'Viar Suggs in 2023. Suggs then transferred to LSU for one season before transferring again to Wisconsin.

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Cornerback Nyzir Fourqurean also began his career at Grand Valley State before he came to the Badgers, though he left the D-II program before Conde arrived.

Wisconsin's outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator Matt Mitchell was the head coach at GVSU for 13 years before joining Fickell's staff in 2023.

Defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow also previously coached at the school, long before Conde enrolled.

Still, the team has a variety of connection points to recruit the 6-foot-5, 290 pound defensive tackle and plenty of sources of intel to evaluate his fit with the team.

That should give the Badgers a leg up in trying to sway him, though Conde is expected to receive more Division-I interest as he accumulates offers and visits.

Fickell will get the first shot to sell him on the team this Saturday, and a win over rival Illinois could go along way toward securing his commitment.

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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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