Wisconsin Badgers football mailbag: The transfer portal, line depth and in-state recruiting

MADISON – Wisconsin is in the dog days of spring practice.

The Badgers completed the ninth practice of the spring Thursday morning inside the McClain Center and are two weeks from their final spring practice.

As UW prepares for the 2024 seasons, we opened the mailbag to get readers' questions about the team.

Thank you to everyone who contributed.

Let’s go!

Bernie Jordahl: Everyone was excited when Fickell was hired. Then we had a very disappointing season. Do you think Fickell is the right guy to get this program back into the upper echelon?

Mark Stewart: It’s only the start of Year 2, so it’s too early to tell, Building/rebuilding football teams takes time, definitely more than one year. As far as last season goes, I look at the team’s finish to the regular season as a positive. I think this team would have won the Big Ten West if Tanner Mordecai didn’t get injured. His absence was huge. With him on the field, I think UW would have beat Iowa and Indiana, which would have put last season in a different light. Navigating the Big Ten this season will be more challenging than before, but I haven’t seen any red flags when it comes to how Fickell is trying to build the program.

Dennis: It seems like a lot of players are leaving through the transfer portal. I understand players down the depth chart looking for a better opportunity, but the Badgers have lost some starters to the portal. Is this typical with other top programs, or does it signal a problem with the Fickell regime?

Mark Stewart: Everyone is losing players to the portal, but it is especially not surprising when you have a coaching change. That said, sometimes the reasons for a player’s transfer has nothing to do with the coaches. The reality is that in this age, teams will lose good players to the portal but also gain some.

Owen David: Many fans wish that the coaches would have developed some packages for (Nick) Evers to take advantage of his speed and running ability. Any ideas why that did not happen? Or were there some of the plays in the playbook for which the situation never presented itself in the games?

Mark Stewart: I never got the impression Evers was close to getting on to the field last season. He was fourth in the depth chart behind Mordecai, Braedyn Locke and Myles Burkett, so why give him a special package? Evers has some great potential, but he hasn’t shown much at the college level yet. He didn’t get into a game last season and at Oklahoma played in one game with one pass attempt. He may develop into a starter down the road, but he wasn’t at that point here. I wish he would have stuck around for at least one more season, but it’s hard to knock a guy for wanting to find another opportunity given the short shelf life of college athletes.

Jeffery Hemer: We had two sons that played football at UW under Coach Bielema. During the Alvarez and Bielema years, they were able to keep Wisconsin’s best high school players playing at UW. Why is that so difficult now as many are leaving for other D-I programs?

Mark Stewart: One thing fans are going to have to accept is that there is more competition for players and there is more talent in the state now than there was during the Alvarez or Bielema eras. Other Power Five programs are going to come into Wisconsin more. Not getting Mukwonago’s Nathan Roy (Minnesota, ‘24) and Catholic Memorial’s Owen Strebig (Notre Dame, ’25) hurt. Green Bay Notre Dame tight end James Flanigan’s family ties to Notre Dame – his dad played there in the 1990s – made that a tough recruiting battle to win. But the situation is getting better. Wisconsin already has three in-state commits for its 2025 class: Wautoma offensive lineman Michael Roeske, Germantown linebacker Cooper Catalano and Neenah defensive back Grant Dean. Fickell had just two state players in the 2024 class.

Mason Mathews: Would you agree with me that currently the biggest portal need would be some veteran offensive linemen to provide depth or even competition? How did O Line U end up relying on some many young players to be our depth this year?

Mark Stewart: Yes, the offensive line certainly lacks depth. As it stands now many of the team’s top backups are freshmen. Last year there was talk early on about rotating more players from that unit into games, but it never materialized. Trey Wedig rotated with Joe Huber and Michael Furtney at guard but then all of sudden couldn’t see the field. I wasn’t surprised he left and it’s hard to blame guys like Nolan Rucci (Penn State) and Dylan Barrett (Iowa State) for leaving when they didn’t get on the field after three years in the program. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Fickell didn’t retain his as O-line coach.

More: 3 takeaways from Wisconsin football's fifth spring practice: offensive line depth remains a question

Mike R: So far, what's the net on gains vs. losses of talent in the portal this year?

Mark Stewart: To piggyback off the last question, UW was hit hardest by its offensive line departures. Fickell didn’t add any players at that position in the portal. The biggest gains from the portal so far appear to be at linebacker, where Leon Lowery (6-3, 251) and John Pius (6-4, 244) are on track to be major contributors on the outside and Jaheim Thomas (6-4, 245) is doing the same on the inside. Another big pickup has been running back Tawee Walker, who appears more than capable of being a reliable option.

Christopher: What is the proper ratio of HS and transfer portal recruits for a roster? Will Badgers be required to seek out more projects with lower NIL expectations to stay under budget?

Mark Stewart: I don’t have a percentage for you, but I think the better programs are going to be built with talent that has been developed in-house. The transfer portal is good to fill holes, but it’s also a risk. What if the portal is not deep at your team’s position of need? There is no guarantee that what a team needs can be found in the portal. The surer bet is sign high school players, develop them and hope they stick around long enough to become contributors.

Prashanth J: What will be the strength(s) of this team? Candidly, I don’t see any…

Mark Stewart: The top offensive line looks good and running backs Chez Mellusi, Tawee Walker and whoever else ends up in the mix has potential. Safety Hunter Wohler and cornerback Ricardo Hallman have All-American potential in the secondary. There is experience at receiver with Will Pauling and Bryson Green and intriguing potential with Trech Kekahuna. But admittedly there are more questions than clear-cut strengths.

More: Wisconsin football's Chez Mellusi talks about battling back from another serious injury

Raymond Apple: Where have Cade Yacamelli and Jackson Acker been lining up in practice as far as position? With the deep running back room, I remember some speculation about one or both changing positions for this season.

Mark Stewart: Both players have been working at running back behind Mellusi and Walker. When it comes to running backs, it’s hard to project how Acker and Yacamelli will fit in at this point. Mellusi and Walker appear to be leading the pack. Acker and Yacamelli are getting snaps in practice, but so are incoming freshmen Gideon Ituka, redshirt freshman Nate White and redshirt sophomore Zach Gloudeman.

Nadia Pulaski: Without naming names, are there any positions on the Badgers currently where some guys sense a glut of talent above them on the depth chart and decide to enter the portal? For example, I am a bit concerned in the running back room.

Mark Stewart: The running back room will get crowded with Darrion Dupree and Dilin Jones arrive during the summer, but all the backs mentioned in the previous answer are getting some good work this spring. It seems to me like more running backs are in the mix than last year.

Katie Century: Do we have experienced DL depth? Is that a position to pursue in the portal after spring practices?

Mark Stewart: James Thompson and Curt Neal have been the top interior players in camp so far. Ben Barten and Cade McDonald are next in line. Albany transfer Elijah Hills could eventually add to that depth. This is a group that will require patience. By the time fall camp begins, the unit will have five freshmen, including redshirt freshman Jamel Howard.

Rob: Which position(s) will be top priority for Badgers when spring transfer portal opens on April 16th?

Mark Stewart: They could use some veteran offensive linemen, but that might be hard to come by. Interior defensive linemen is another spot where the UW might seek help.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin football mailbag: Transfer portal, line depth, recruiting