Where Xavier Lucas, other Wisconsin transfers land on ESPN's final portal cycle rankings
ESPN released its final 2025 transfer portal cycle top 100 player ranking on Wednesday.
The list, which includes both the winter and spring windows, is not full of Wisconsin Badgers. One transfer departure made the cut: cornerback Xavier Lucas, who now plays for Miami, at No. 60. His departure was noteworthy, to say the least, as Wisconsin attempted to block his exit.
Former Ball State tight end Tanner Koziol is the other now-former Badger included (No. 91). He was both a transfer addition and departure this offseason, joining the program during the winter window before exiting during the spring. With the dust now settled, he's set to play for Houston in 2025.
On one hand, Wisconsin's absence from ESPN's list means the program didn't lose much high-profile talent to top-ranked programs. On the other hand, it means the outlet doesn't see many of its additions as top-end impactful.
In total, the Badgers brought in 21 transfers -- 19 during the winter window (although three then transferred out) and five during the spring. The list's headliners are quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., wide receiver Jayden Ballard and four experienced defensive tackles. It's reasonable to look at the team's revamped defensive front seven, deep secondary and strong quarterback room and praise the staff for a strong transfer cycle. But that is a local perspective. Nationally, none of Wisconsin's key additions made major headlines.
Wisconsin is projected to have four transfers start on offense, plus another 4-5 on defense. That doesn't include the additional eight in the team's projected two-deep, or the one starter on special teams. That reality means that the program's transfer class will go a long way toward defining its 2025 season, for better or for worse.
Maybe, with the benefit of hindsight, we can look at ESPN's forecast and wonder why several Badgers were left off.
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