Wisconsin’s quest for transfer help at defensive line appears to be over

Wisconsin’s monthslong quest to land a transfer defensive lineman appears to have reached its end.

That indication came Tuesday when former walk-on wide receiver Haakon Anderson was extended a scholarship. His scholarship brings the program to the limit of 85 and takes the spot reserved for a final transfer portal addition.

Related: Updated 2024 Wisconsin football game-by-game predictions after spring practice

Luke Fickell and his staff pursued several top defensive linemen during the spring transfer portal window. That pursuit was headlined by C.J. West ( committed to Indiana ), Khurtiss Perry (committed to Virginia Tech), Jay’Viar Suggs ( committed to LSU ), Gavin Meyer ( committed to USC ) and Brandon Lane ( committed to Louisville ).

Wisconsin’s spring portal loss of T.J. Bollers and lack of commitment from any transfer leaves the position with the following depth chart:

• Starters: Redshirt senior James Thompson Jr., redshirt sophomore Curt Neal and redshirt senior Ben Barten
• Backups: Redshirt senior Elijah Hills (transfer), redshirt senior Cade McDonald, redshirt freshman Jamel Howard
• Depth: True freshman Dillan Johnson, true freshman Hank Weber, true freshman Ernest Willor

The position is light, to say the least. The starting trio should be formidable, but the depth drops off significantly after Hills and McDonald. That means an injury or two could prove costly to the team’s success — as seen with the Badgers in 2018.

Related: Wisconsin football boasts one of 2024’s top-ranked transfer portal classes

A necessary disclaimer: The situation can still change between now and training camp. The 85-man roster is a projection based on available information.

Wisconsin exited the spring transfer window with depth offensive linemen Leyton Nelson and Joey Okla and an experienced wide receiver, Joseph Griffin Jr.

The program did well in the portal during the 2024 offseason. It found a starting quarterback, starting running back, two starting-caliber outside linebackers, several talented inside linebackers and an experienced cornerback.

Much of that progress will be forgotten if defensive line becomes a real issue when the season kicks off this fall.

UPDATE (May 24): Wisconsin flipped transfer DT Brandon Lane from Louisville.

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