Wisconsin Badgers smaller 2026 recruiting class will mean bigger transfer portal push

Luke Fickell made it clear: The 2026 Wisconsin Badgers are going to be built through the transfer portal.

Nov 22, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell talks to his team during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Camp Randall Stadium. | Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images

Luke Fickell made it clear: The 2026 Wisconsin Badgers are going to be built through the transfer portal.

The team will still develop its younger players, and they'll hold onto as many returning starters as they can.

But the big emphasis and added investment this winter will be about getting quality players through the portal that can make an instant impact on the Badgers.

Wisconsin only signed 13 incoming freshmen to scholarships in the 2026 recruiting class.

Luke Fickell acknowledges that with a smaller recruiting class, Wisconsin will have a bigger transfer portal class that the Badgers have ever had. Asked if he planned to add a transfer QB: "Yes. We know that the quarterback position is going to be really key and really critical."

— Jesse Temple (@jessetemple) December 3, 2025

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That leaves them with more than a dozen open roster spots still to fill, and that doesn't include replacing the players who will leave through the transfer portal.

It could be as many as 20 or more new veteran players coming through the portal, with the potential to drastically reshape the Badgers' roster.

That will start with the quarterback position, where Fickell indicated they could pursue multiple players for the second-straight offseason.

Related: Luke Fickell's non-answer about Billy Edwards Jr. told us everything we need to know

Wisconsin is also graduating several offensive and defensive linemen, and the team is particularly young in the secondary as well.

This is where athletic director Chris McIntosh will be putting more of his increased investment into the football program.

Fickell's job will depend on how well he scouts and attracts this veteran talent to field a more successful roster in 2026.

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