Luke Fickell and the University of Wisconsin football team finished up their second year of spring practices on Thursday. While the transfer portal window is officially closed, the Badgers coaching staff isn’t done looking for potential additions to the program for the 2024 season.
“Yeah, we’ll still look,” Fickell told reporters. “I think that we got to see the numbers and see where we are. And the great thing for us is you want to evaluate all of spring to find out if there’s something that can help you, you know? And then you’ve got to figure out is it an older guy, or a younger guy, and what is it you want.
“But the thing about college football is if you’re not always at least evaluating and looking, then you’re going to fall behind.”
During spring practice, the Wisconsin football program has had several players enter the portal in search of greener pastures. Of note is that quarterback Nick Evers left, along with cornerback Michael Mack and defensive end TJ Bollers, which gives the Badgers some wiggle room.
By my count, Coach Fickell and his staff currently sit two scholarships under the limit heading into the summer. That should allow Wisconsin football to add some depth and competition to whichever rooms they felt were lacking throughout the spring practice sessions.
It’s no secret that the Badgers would like to add a veteran player to EJ Whitlow’s defensive line room between now and fall camp. James Thompson Jr. and Curt Neal have been running with the first team, but you’d like another nose tackle come in and push that group for snaps.
We’ve already seen Wisconsin football host transfer portal defensive linemen such as Grand Valley State’s Jay’Viar Suggs and Kent State’s CJ West on campus visits. So, it’s fair to assume help will be on the way.
Offensive line depth has been and will continue to be a room the Badgers staff should consider adding to despite the transfer portal additions of Leyton Nelson and Joey Okla this spring. Three freshmen will join the program later this summer, which could help alleviate some of that need, but there are not many proven guys ready to step in if an injury occurs.
Either way, the Wisconsin football coaches will have some wiggle room after getting a better overall feel for their roster in spring practice.
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