BREAKING: Wisconsin transfer OL Joe Brunner has Committed to Indiana
2026 Badger Football Thread
- Thread starter Mark87
- Start date
Portal commits for the Badgers in recent days:
Jake Anderson a 6'5"-295# DT from D2 runner-up Illinois State. A rotational depth guy for the d-line.
James Roe a LS from Toledo. Well regarded and an important ST addition if he can do his one job well.
Liam Danitz a 6'5"-230# Edge who played D3 last year and had 15 sacks. Physical track freak who ran a 10.55 100m dash. Was pursued by several P4 programs. Kind of a lottery ticket. Situational pass rusher would seem to be his role.
DeNigel Cooper a 6'3"-260# Edge from Appalachian St. More of a power edge who'll have more of a run stpping role it would seem.
Getting near the end with portal signings as the overwheliming majority of the top-20 players at each position have committed. Teams are mostly just adding depth pieces now to fill out rosters.
Jake Anderson a 6'5"-295# DT from D2 runner-up Illinois State. A rotational depth guy for the d-line.
James Roe a LS from Toledo. Well regarded and an important ST addition if he can do his one job well.
Liam Danitz a 6'5"-230# Edge who played D3 last year and had 15 sacks. Physical track freak who ran a 10.55 100m dash. Was pursued by several P4 programs. Kind of a lottery ticket. Situational pass rusher would seem to be his role.
DeNigel Cooper a 6'3"-260# Edge from Appalachian St. More of a power edge who'll have more of a run stpping role it would seem.
Getting near the end with portal signings as the overwheliming majority of the top-20 players at each position have committed. Teams are mostly just adding depth pieces now to fill out rosters.
That's probably kind of true, but it's probably true for many teams. If you are a starter getting decent NIL on a P4 team you're likely not in the portal. Most portal players are guys looking for an opportunity to play, a move up to P4, and/or a pay day. I see a QB, RB, WR, OC, DL, S, CB that were starters last year and will likely start and contribute next year.
No doubt Fick has messed up the culture in Madison and needs to recruit better. He can't keep bringing in 30 man portal classes - that's tough on position coaches. That said, the portal is a valuable tool and good coaches need to find guys who fit and find a way to get the portal guys to buy into the culture.
Look no further than the king of culture Curt Cignetti. I don't doubt that he's not particularly fond of the portal, but he knows he's got to use it and he knows how to use it to supplement his recruiting. He's got 17 portal commits for 2026 including what is likely his 3rd portal starting QB in as many years.
Fick needs to recruit better and figure out what his team is about and sell it to recruits, and to portal guys because they are an important part of building a program these days. He also needs to win, because some of his best players are likely leaving because they're tired of playing on a craptastic team that has no identity.
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Yup, for some schools it's absolutely nuts. About half those Iowa State kids ended up at Penn State with their old coach. The worst one I've seen so far is Oklahoma St. They had 64 kids transfer out and 54 transfer in (so far). These schools that lose or fire their coaches just take massive hits in the portal.
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