Wisconsin Badgers add in-state LB in transfer portal who dominated at JUCO level

A native of Brussels, Wisconsin, he played his high school ball at Southern Door before enrolling at Iowa Central Community College in the recruiting class of 2024.

As a sophomore, he was a force to be reckoned with at the JUCO level.

The 6-foot-4, 240 pound linebacker was his conference's Defensive Player of the Year with 97 tackles, 10 TFL, five sacks and an interception.

Schaefer told 247Sports that the Badgers see him as a middle linebacker in their scheme.

He joins a Wisconsin LB corps that is set to return veteran Christian Alliegro along with standout freshmen Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano among a loaded group.

Schaefer seems to have the size and versatile skill set to potentially move around the front seven if needed.

Prior to committing to the Badgers, he took visits with Iowa State and Kentucky. He came to Madison in the middle of last week and was set to visit Arkansas this weekend.

He's the second transfer portal commitment Wisconsin landed this weekend, along with Grand Valley State defensive lineman Jibriel Conde.

The Badgers are hoping Schaefer can be as impactful as their last JUCO linebacker success story : Minnesota Vikings star Andrew Van Ginkel.