All Badgers

Wisconsin Badgers land coveted transfer portal left tackle with size and upside

The Wisconsin Badgers aren't just landing promising young players in the transfer portal. They're taking them away from bigger programs that were also interested.
Lorin Cox|
Florida State offensive tackle Lucas Simmons is coming to the Wisconsin Badgers in the transfer portal
Florida State offensive tackle Lucas Simmons is coming to the Wisconsin Badgers in the transfer portal | Ehsan Kassim/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK

In this story:

Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers aren't just landing promising young players in the transfer portal. They're taking them away from bigger programs that were also interested.

That was the case Wednesday morning, when Luke Fickell landed a commitment from former Florida State offensive tackle Lucas Simmons.

Sign Up For the Wisconsin Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Wisconsin Badgers Newsletter

Simmons ranked as a Top 20 offensive tackle in the portal by On3, and he was getting significant interest on the open market.

He chose to sign with the Badgers despite visits with Georgia, Georgia Tech and James Madison, plus interest from Mississippi State among others.

He was originally a four-star recruit out of Clearwater, Florida in the 2023 class with an offer sheet that included top programs like Miami, LSU, Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee and USC.

Listed at 6-foot-8, 308 pounds, Simmons has great physical tools for the position, and he appears to be just scratching the surface of his potential.

Related: New Wisconsin Badgers offensive line coach poaches young blocker from his former school Arkansas

He barely played in his first two seasons with the Seminoles, but he saw extended playing time this past fall in two games against East Texas A&M and Kent State along with brief appearances in two others.

The sample size was small, but he looks to be a player who could compete to start on the Wisconsin offensive line.

His experience came at left tackle, a position where the Badgers are expected to start redshirt sophomore Kevin Haywood.

But he's coming off of a knee injury that forced him to miss the entire 2025 seasons, so Simmons could have the opportunity to present genuine competition for him.

The transfer could also push redshirt sophomore Emerson Mandell at right tackle or provide a valuable swing tackle who could step in at a moment's notice.

He's the third portal addition so far by new offensive line coach Eric Mateos, who also got a new starting center in Austin Kawlecki from Oklahoma State. He also brought one of his former players at Arkansas with him, guard Blake Cherry.

More Wisconsin Badgers News:

Published | Modified
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.

Home/Recruiting