Player Previews: Is Safety Marvin Burks Jr the Plug-and-Play Starter Wisconsin Envisioned?

Over the course of the summer leading up to Big Ten Media Days and fall camp, Badgers On SI will extensively preview Wisconsin football's roster with a write-up for each player expected to be remotely involved in 2026.

We continue the series with a former two-year starter in the SEC, Missouri transfer Marvin Burks Jr.

2025 Stats

49 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one pick-six, one PBU.

Overview

Burks looks like the definition of an instant impact transfer. He's coming off two straight seasons as a starter in the SEC — that's 26 starts and 115 tackles over the past two seasons at Missouri.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound safety looks like a very well-rounded player. He can play both in the back end and up close to the line of scrimmage in the box. On film, he has no glaring weaknesses. The veteran defensive back has elite eye-discipline and looks very solid in coverage. His tackling can be a little inconsistent at times, but he's a physical, hard-hitting safety.

Still, upon his arrival in Madison, head coach Luke Fickell wasn't ready to anoint him a starter or a leader of the team.

“Just because a guy like Marvin comes in here and is a two-year starter, it doesn’t exactly mean they’re the guy," he said after the team's first spring practice.

However, by the summertime, Burks appeared to have won Fickell over.

“I think Marvin, the safety from Missouri, has figured out and recognized a role not just as a leader, but as a guy who’s played a lot of ball and his growth of recognizing what the culture and the standards are here, have been really good for our defense," he said on Wilde and Tausch in July.

Just like we envisioned when he initially transferred to Wisconsin, Burks is primed to hold down a starting role and be a key member of this Badgers' defense in 2026.

Best-Case Scenario

Former Missouri Tigers safety Marvin Burks Jr. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Burks looks locked into a starting role. Even when Fickell wouldn't come out and name him the starter immediately, no one was buying that the fourth-year player and former two-year starter in the SEC wasn't going to trot out with the first 11.

If all goes according to plan for Burks, he has the best season of his career in 2026. The entirety of his veteran experience — the mistakes, the highlights — everything comes together to help Burks produce the best season of his career. He turns into one of those defensive backs that quarterbacks need to ID before each and every snap, and his alignment versatility opens up a world of possibilities for defensive coordinator Mike Tressel.

In this scenario, Burks emerges as one of the better safeties in the Big Ten and after three years of starting at the Power Four level, cements himself as an NFL Draft prospect.

"He's just got a lot of confidence," safeties coach Jack Cooper said. "As soon as we met him in the portal, got to talk to him, the reps in the SEC in big-time environments gives him confidence, that, 'yeah coach, I got that.'"

Worst-Case Scenario

If things go awry for Burks in 2026, it likely entails him simply not making as big an impact as he's capable of. Again, he's going to start; he shouldn't have to worry about losing his job. But if Burks doesn't live up to his potential this fall, not making many splash plays and not being around the ball as much as he's capable of, that would likely be the worst-case scenario of course barring injury.

Prediction

I see Burks doing exactly what the staff brought him to Madison to do: instantly sliding into a starting role and settling the Badgers' secondary. He should have another strong statistical season in store as a full-time starter, and Burks has shown a propensity for making big plays — I see him notching an interception or two, along with a few big hits that jar a ball or two loose.

Burks should be one of the more reliable safeties in the Big Ten in 2026. I envision a very strong season for the former Missouri Tiger, one Badger fans will remember fondly even if he's a one-and-done at Wisconsin.

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