7 transfer portal newcomers to know on Wisconsin Badgers football roster entering 2025

The Wisconsin Badgers will take the field Thursday night against the Miami (OH) Redhawks with 19 new players on their two-deep depth chart that came through the transfer portal.

At least half of them will be in the starting lineup or rotating as key contributors on both sides of the ball, so we're catching up on the most important new faces Badgers fans need to know this season.

QB Billy Edwards

In case you've been living under a rock, the Badgers turned to the transfer portal to find their Week 1 starting quarterback for the third straight year.

Edwards was the starter last year for Maryland, where he started strong but declined as the year went on.

He came into Madison as the unquestioned starter, and new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes will be counting on Edwards' experience and consistency to provide a steadying force under center.

TE Lance Mason

Mason was a late addition to the Badgers after spring practices had already concluded, but a key injury at his position will open up an even bigger role for him.

He'll have to adapt to a significant jump up in competition from the FCS level at Missouri State, but he is a play-making pass catcher with athletic tools that look like they belong in the Big Ten.

Wisconsin won't have No. 1 tight end Tucker Ashcraft to start the season, so Mason will be called upon to be a key weapon for Edwards, and he'll need to make strides as a blocker to be more than just an oversized receiver.

LT Davis Heinzen

Like Mason, Heinzen was another late transfer portal addition who saw the fast track to the starting lineup due to injury.

Projected starting left tackle Kevin Haywood tore his ACL during spring practice, opening up a competition to replace him in the lineup.

Heinzen came in from Central Michigan with 36 career starts under his belt, and his experience made him the clear option to fill in with the first team.

OLB Mason Reiger

The breakout transfer player of the offseason for Wisconsin has been Reiger, a pass rusher from Louisville whose main challenge has been staying healthy.

He missed all of the 2024 season for the Cardinals, but in 2023, he had five sacks and six tackles for loss.

Now in his sixth collegiate season, Reiger has been unblockable during fall camp practices, and he looks primed for a big season in Madison, if he can avoid further injury.

OLB Corey Walker

Walker offers an intriguiging physical skillset as a 290-pound lineman listed at the outside linebacker position.

He was a two-year starter at Western Michigan, where he played against the Badgers last season, and his added mass should help Wisconsin be more stout against the run.

Walker has plenty of upside as a pass-rusher too, but don't expect to see him drop back into coverage too often.

DL Parker Petersen

Getting bigger up front was a top priority for Luke Fickell in the transfer portal. Petersen is here to clock up the interior at nose tackle.

He was a stater last season at Tulane and a Top 100 player in the portal this offesason, according to 247 Sports.

Petersen might not rack up big sack numbers, but his consistency will go a long way toward bolstering the Badgers interior and keeping opposing running backs from breaking free to the second level.

CB Geimere Latimer

Latimer's impact as a transfer has been two fold. He's stepping in as Wisconsin's starting slot cornerback, and his presence helped the Badgers land of of their top commitments in the 2026 high school recruiting class.

The Badgers are rotating some younger cornerbacks in the secondary, so they'll rely on Latimer's experience playing at Jacksonville State for some added consistency.

After bringing him in through the transfer portal, Wisconsin later landed his younger brother Amari Latimer who is one of the top running back recruits in the Class of 2026.

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