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Wisconsin Badgers add high upside defensive tackle with pass rushing prowess in transfer portal

The Wisconsin Badgers added a big body from Buffalo in the transfer portal who has a knack for getting after the quarterback.
Lorin Cox|
Buffalo defensive tackle Junior Poyser signed with the Wisconsin Badgers in the transfer portal.
Buffalo defensive tackle Junior Poyser signed with the Wisconsin Badgers in the transfer portal. | Nicholas McLaughlin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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The transfer portal was critical for the Wisconsin Badgers to build their elite run defense last season, as Luke Fickell made it a priority to add bigger bodies to the defensive line.

Now, he's tapping back into the portal to replace some of those transfers who graduated this winter.

It started Tuesday with the signing of University of Buffalo defensive tackle Junior Poyser.

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Poyser was originally a three-star recruit out of Massachusetts in the 2023 class and redshirted his first season before developing into a starter over the previous two years.

In 2025, he recorded 31 tackles and 5.5 sacks to go with a forced fumble.

According to PFF, he recorded four QB hits and 15 hurries as well, ranking as one of the Top 10 defensive tackles in the country in pressure rate.

Related: New Wisconsin Badgers cornerbacks coach is dominating transfer portal so far

Poyser comes to Wisconsin with two years of eligibility remaining and a great opportunity to be an impact play-maker right away.

Listed at 6-foot-1, 310 pounds, he can give the Badgers in interior pass rush threat they didn't quite have in 2025, with most of their pressure coming from their edge rushers.

UW graduated four different defensive linemen who played key parts in their rotation this season, and Fickell will likely need to add more than just Poyser in the portal.

But he has the potential to make a name for himself quickly in Madison and provide a steal in the portal from Buffalo.

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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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