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ESPN ranks Wisconsin Badgers' football offseason as one of worst in Big Ten

ESPN ranked every football program's offseason moves, and the Wisconsin Badgers landed near the bottom of the Big Ten.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin head football coach Luke Fickell is shown during spring football practice Thursday, April 3, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin head football coach Luke Fickell is shown during spring football practice Thursday, April 3, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

Every football program believes they get better in the offseason, but ESPN's college football reporters aren't convinced about what Luke Fickell accomplished.

They ranked every team's offseason moves since the end of the 2024 season, and the Wisconsin Badgers ranked 16th out of the 18 Big Ten teams.

16. Wisconsin Badgers

What went wrong: Wisconsin made the necessary pivot on offense to Grimes and a more traditional scheme, but did the team bring in enough through the portal? Edwards could stabilize the quarterback situation, but the Badgers lost Walker, their leading rusher, to Cincinnati and Pauling, their top receiver, to Notre Dame. Wisconsin seemingly upgraded the tight end spot with Ball State's Tanner Koziol, but he transferred out in the spring and the team scrambled to add Missouri State's Lance Mason. The Badgers' limited portal approach on offense outside of wide receiver and quarterback could be costly. Wisconsin addressed its depth needs on defense, but not adding a transfer running back seemed odd.

What went right: The Badgers correctly reset their offensive approach and Edwards has the talent to thrive in the right situation. Wisconsin also needed new bodies on defense after a season where it generated only 17 sacks and four interceptions. The team not only brought back linebacker Christian Alliegro, defensive backs Preston Zachman and Ricardo Hallman, and others, but added transfers like Reiger, cornerback Geimere Latimer II, outside linebacker Corey Parker and defensive linemen Perkins and Parker Petersen. The staff's ability to develop defensive transfers mostly from Group of 5 or FCS programs could make a massive difference this fall.
ESPN

The only two Big Ten teams that ranked below Wisconsin were Maryland and Purdue.

The ranking was based on teams' ability to retain key players and coaches, along with their transfer portal and high school recruiting additions.

The Badgers' replacements for the talent they lost don't come in with a lot of proven production at the Power Four level, and Fickell will be counting on them to elevate their game in 2025.

Expectations will be low for Wisconsin this season, but that can help them fly the under radar and reduce some of the pressure on them.

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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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