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Wisconsin Badgers land transfer portal edge rusher who ranked Top 25 in 2025 recruiting class

The Wisconsin Badgers earned the commitment of a promising young pass rusher from Tennessee who was a four-star recruit and a Top 25 player at his position in the 2025 recruiting class.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell, left, talks with Badgers outside linebackers/special teams coach Matt Mitchell during the fourth quarter of the game Saturday, September 6, 2025 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Middle Tennessee 42-10.
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell, left, talks with Badgers outside linebackers/special teams coach Matt Mitchell during the fourth quarter of the game Saturday, September 6, 2025 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Middle Tennessee 42-10. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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The Wisconsin Badgers are building out their depth at the edge rusher position with a productive week in the winter transfer portal window so far.

Six days after adding former Arkansas and Florida defensive end Justus Boone, Luke Fickell brought in another edge player with a little more youth and plenty of upside.

On Saturday, former Tennessee pass rusher Jayden Loftin announced his commitment to Wisconsin.

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Loftin redshirted his freshman season this past fall at Tennessee, leaving him four years of eligibility left as he comes to the Badgers.

He was a consensus four-star recruit in the 2025 class, ranked as a Top 25 edge rusher in the country by both Rivals and On3.

Wisconsin recruited him coming out of high school despite Loftin missing his entire senior season due to a torn ACL.

He hasn't played meaningful football since 2024, so he's going to need some time to develop. According to PFF, he played three snaps in one game this past season as he redshirted.

He'll provide some young depth at a position for the Badgers that just graduated four seniors.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers sign former 4-star SEC edge rusher in transfer portal

Gone are Mason Reiger, Darryl Peterson, Corey Walker and Aaron Witt, leaving Wisconsin thin on the edge.

The addition of Boone will help, but Loftin will have a chance to compete for playing time with returning seniors Micheal Garner, Tyreese Fearbry and Sebastian Cheeks.

The newest member of the group is much younger, so his playing time in 2026 might be more limited. But Wisconsin added him with the hopes of long-term development building him into a significant contributor as his career goes on.

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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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