Wisconsin football specialist enters NCAA transfer portal
Stein joined the Badgers back in December after three years at Arkansas. His departure follows the program's recent addition of former Purdue long snapper Nick Levy in the spring portal window. He reenters the portal with two years of eligibility remaining.
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The veteran long-snapper started 23 games during his freshman (2022) and sophomore (2023) seasons at Arkansas. That time included a Freshman All-SEC honor (2022) and an inclusion on the 2023 Patrick Mannelly Award Watch List for the nation's best long-snapper. Stein then lost the Arkansas starting job during training camp before the 2024 season, prompting his departure from the program.
Wisconsin originally brought Stein in to replace 2024 starting long-snapper Cayson Pfeiffer, who graduated after the season. Its late-spring addition of Levy pointed to a change in direction at the position, which likely prompted this latest move.
Wisconsin is set to enter 2025 with a similar specialist unit to the last few seasons, with Nathanial Vakos handling the kicking duties and Atticus Bertrams at punter. Its returner positions are still up in the air, with Vinny Anthony and Trech Kekahuna as primary candidates for the kickoff and punt return duties, respectively.
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For more on Wisconsin's spring transfer movement and where former Badgers land, bookmark our 2025 spring window tracker.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin football long snapper Eli Stein reenters transfer portal
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