After tossing his name into the transfer portal, former Wisconsin football defensive lineman Gio Paez has found a new home.
On Tuesday afternoon, Paez took to Twitter to announce his decision to join Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge for his final season.
Paez, a former three-star recruit out of North Carolina, joined the Badgers as a member of the 2019 recruiting class over scholarship offers from UCF, Nebraska, Texas A&M, NC State, Louisville, Kentucky, and others.
In total, he spent five seasons with the Wisconsin football program and appeared in 33 games, registering 36 tackles, 14 pressures, and 1.5 TFLs.
Standing at 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, Paez enjoyed his best season in a Badgers uniform under head coach Luke Fickell and Mike Tressel. In 2023, Paez appeared in 13 games, starting six for Wisconsin football.
According to Pro Football Focus, Paez finished with a 66.7 grade, considered above average by their metric, after totaling 23 tackles, 10 pressures, and 0.5 TFLs in 385 snaps. Paez strung together multi-tackle performances against Buffalo, Georgia Southern, Iowa, Illinois, and Northwestern — which helped him earn a shot to prove himself at LSU.
Wishing the former Wisconsin football defensive lineman all the best as he embarks on his next chapter.
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