Nov 29, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Vinny Anthony II (8) rushes with the football in front of Minnesota Golden Gophers linebacker Cody Lindenberg (45) after catching a pass during the third quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Wisconsin Badgers football is returning more production for 2025 than most Big Ten rivals

Originally posted on Wisconsin Badgers on SI
By Lorin Cox | Last updated Jul 19, 2025 4:30 PM ET

In the transfer portal era, it feels like the Wisconsin Badgers lost major chunks of their team to departures and graduation.

It turns out, they lost less than most of their rivals.

In ESPN's Big Ten preview, writer Bill Connelly charted how much of their 2024 production each team in the conference is bringing back for 2025.

* Can Penn State make it 3 completed quests in a row?
* OSU: spectacularly uninspiring coordinator hires (and it might not matter)
* Michigan at No. 10 is *aggressive*
* Oregon is replacing a LOT
* BIGGEST. INDIANA-ILLINOIS GAME. EVER.

2025 B1G PREVIEW: https://t.co/kvA7YoOq41
— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) July 18, 2025

Wisconsin has the Big Ten's third-highest percentage of their production returning for this season behind only Illinois and Rutgers.

68 percent of the offensive production and 67 percent of the defensive production is back from last year. Overall, UW ranks 12th in the nation.

The biggest losses on offense are obviously quarterback Braeden Locke and running back Tawee Walker, but the return of wide receivers Vinny Anthony II and Trech Kekahuna will go a long way.

The defense will certainly miss safety Hunter Wohler, and the eligibility issues for Nyzier Fourqurean could create another hole.

But most of the rest of the secondary is back, along with a solid linebacker corps.

If the team's transfer portal additions along the defensive front can step up and exceed what the Badgers' lost from last year's team, that group should be in a great position to bounce back.

Other top Big Ten teams like Oregon and Ohio State have a lot more ground to make up. Both schools are brining back less than 50 percent of their production on both sides of the ball.

That can be a good problem to have, when much of that talent was lost to the NFL, but it still leaves question marks for those programs to answer with new faces in new roles.