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Wisconsin will face one former Badgers player who departed the program in 2026

The Wisconsin Badgers saw over 20 players leave in the transfer portal this winter, but only one of them will face their former team in 2026.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell (left) talks with Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley before a game at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell (left) talks with Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley before a game at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers saw over 20 players leave in the transfer portal this winter, but only one of them will face their former team in 2026.

The Big Ten announced the full conference football schedule Tuesday, confirming that Wisconsin will host USC and former tight end Tucker Ashcraft on October 24.

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He was originally a three-star recruit for the Badgers out of Washington in the 2023 recruiting class. ESPN and 247Sports both rated him as a Top 50 tight end in the country.

He played right away as a true freshman, appearing in every game of his first two years in Madison.

2025 was supposed to be a big step forward for Ashcraft as he stepped into a more prominent role, but a preseason injury derailed that progress and limited him to only four games this fall.

That allowed him to take a redshirt and have two years of eligibility remaining when he entered the transfer portal.

He is one of only nine transfer additions for a USC team that lost over 20 players to the portal this offseason, including two tight ends.

When Ashcraft and the Trojans return to Camp Randall Stadium in October, it will be a rematch of the the Badgers 38-21 loss at USC in 2024.

They are one of three opponents on Wisconsin's schedule that finished the 2025 season ranked in the Top 25.

Related: Way-too-early record predictions for newly released Wisconsin Badgers football schedule

Several other former Badgers transferred to other Big Ten teams this winter, but none will appear on Wisconsin's schedule.

Offensive lineman Joe Brunner and safety Preston Zachman are now at Indiana. Linebacker Christian Alliegro transferred to Ohio State, and center Jake Renfro will play for Illinois.

A few other ex-Badgers from previous transfer portal windows will appear on Wisconsin's schedule, though.

Week 2 against Western Illinois will feature former offensive lineman James Durand. Two weeks later, former Wisconsin edge rusher Jordan Mayer and Penn State will host the Badgers.

Then they return to Madison for Week 5 against Michigan State and former edge rusher Anelu Lafaele.

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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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