Wisconsin Badgers spring football: An introduction to the transfers
With spring practice kicking off this week, the Wisconsin Badgers football team welcomed several new members to the squad.
While media members have yet to attend a practice, some updated roster details and spring updates were recently shared by head coach Paul Chryst on Monday, according to the roster, there are 12 newcomers.
A day after introducing the true freshmen, today we take a look at the six transfers that were added this off-season.
Vito Calvaruso
| Position | Year | Jersey Number | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kicker | Junior | No. 91 | 6-foot-3 | 198 lbs. | Jefferson City, Mo. |
The Wisconsin special teams received a lift this off-season with the commitment of former Arkansas kicker Vito Calvaruso. Primarily a kickoff specialist with the Razorbacks, Calvaruso is the leading candidate to takeover kickoffs and field goal duties after Collin Larsh decided to move on professionally following the season. Calvaruso has a strong leg, and it will be interesting to see if the junior kicker can give the Badgers a weapon in the kicking game.
Bryce Carey
| Position | Year | Jersey Number | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Safety | Junior | No. 37 | 6-foot-1 | 183 lbs. | Middleton, Wis. |
Bryce Carey was a surprise walk-on addition near signing day for the Badgers. Carey began his career as a quarterback at Northern Illinois but will now suit up with Wisconsin as a safety. It is hard to know what the Badgers have with the local player, but the last No. 37 to walk-on with UW turned out great.
Justin Clark
| Position | Year | Jersey Number | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cornerback | Senior (Graduate transfer) | No. 21 | 5-foot-11 | 178 lbs. | Pontiac, Mich. |
The Badgers attacked the cornerback transfer market this off-season. Justin Clark, formerly of Toledo, was the first graduate transfer corner to pick Wisconsin back in early January. A rare seventh-year player, Clark brings plenty of experience (41 games played) to the Badgers defensive backfield. He is a player that should compete for immediate playing time under cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat.
Cedrick Dort Jr.
| Position | Year | Jersey Number | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cornerback | Senior (Graduate transfer) | No. 5 | 5-foot-11 | 183 lbs. | Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. |
Cedrick Dort is another graduate transfer cornerback for the Badgers. Dort began his career with Kentucky, where he started 25 games out of 44 games played. A native of South Florida, Dort is a talented cornerback from the Power 5 level that enters spring ball as one of the top candidates to replace Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams.
Keontez Lewis
| Position | Year | Jersey Number | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wide receiver | Sophomore | No. 3 | 6-foot-2 | 194 lbs. | East St. Louis, Ill. |
With three of the top receivers from a year ago exhausting their eligibility, the Wisconsin Badgers added a big receiver via the transfer portal in Keontez Lewis.
Lewis has three years of eligibility remaining after playing 11 games with UCLA as a true freshman last season. While he did not record a reception, Lewis was a high three-star prospect out of high school with a great offer list, and he comes to Madison with some experience from his time in Los Angeles. Lewis will compete for playing time with several other young players in the receiver room.
Jay Shaw
| Position | Year | Jersey Number | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cornerback | Senior (Graduate transfer) | No. 1 | 5-foot-11 | 188 lbs. | Corona, Calif. |
Also coming over from UCLA is defensive back, Jay Shaw.
Shaw might be the most heralded of the transfer additions for the Badgers after he earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors a year ago. With 43 games under his belt, including 16 starts, Shaw is a hard-hitting cornerback that could be an immediate impact player. He is a former four-star recruit and has shown the ability to generate turnovers at the college level, something desired in Jim Leonhard's defense.
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