Wisconsin Football Connected to Duke Linebacker in Transfer Portal

It’s extremely early in the Badgers 30-day transfer portal window, but Wisconsin football coaches have made a few things abundantly clear: inside and outside linebackers need an influx of talent.

The Badgers are already in contact with several inside linebackers in the portal and are in the preliminary stages of establishing relationships to set up their recruiting board. A source indicated last night that Duke graduate transfer Dorian Mausi is among the linebackers Wisconsin is doing their homework on, and BadgerNotes.com was able to confirm.

Standing at 6-foot-2, 233 pounds, Mausi has the measurables and in-game experience the Badgers want to add to their LB room in 2024.

Wisconsin Football Doing Its Homework on Duke LB Dorian Mausi.

At this point, a few things are true for the Wisconsin football team. The Badgers want sideline-to-sideline linebackers rather than run-stuffing gap specialists — and they’re also not enamored with the current depth.

Jake Chaney, Jordan Turner, and, to a lesser extent, Christian Alliegro are all expected to return and play key roles in Wisconsin’s defense next season at inside linebacker. But behind them, there are plenty of question marks — making it imperative they bring in competition.

Dorian Mausi could fit with the Wisconsin football program because he has 44 games of experience at Duke  and has the best ability any coach could ask for — a history availability.

During his career with the Blue Devils, Mausi has racked up 193 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, four pass deflections, a forced fumble, and an INT. In his senior season alone, he accounted for 61 tackles, four pressures, 3.5 TFLs, 0.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and an interception.

Dorian is a Michigan native and is viewed as more of a coverage specialist at linebacker — a unique skill set that the Wisconsin Badgers don’t have much of with their current personnel. So, this one could make sense as a depth piece should UW choose to proceed here.