Wisconsin will count on transfers in the 2023 football season. Here are five to watch.
Luke Fickell and his assistants hit the transfer portal hard in the offseason and added more than a dozen players to the Wisconsin roster, starting in December and ending in July.
Eleven of those transfers are in the team's two-deep for the opener on Saturday.
Here are five transfers to watch.
Tanner Mordecai, 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, quarterback
Mordecai is the only quarterback on the UW roster who has started a college game. Mordecai started a total of 24 games in two seasons at SMU before coming to UW. He left with 72 touchdown passes and 22 interceptions. He had a touchdown pass every 12.5 attempts and an interception every 40.8 attempts. By contrast, Graham Mertz in 2021 and 2022 had a touchdown pass every 19.7 attempts and an interception every 27.1 attempts. In the spring Mordecai showed he can make any throw required in Phil Longo’s offense and can make a play with his feet if no one is open. He began putting the ball in harm’s way late in the spring but was better overall in camp. If he can eliminate or at least limit those mistakes he should be fine.
Joe Huber, 6-5, 311, guard
Huber is one of four players who came to UW from Cincinnati. The redshirt junior can line up at just about any position on the line and appears set to start at left guard. Huber joined Cincinnati as a walk-on in 2020, played seven games in 2021 and then started 13 games at right tackle last season. He worked at left guard and at center in camp and offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. raved about his versatility. "Joe does everything well," Fickell said.
Jeff Pietrowski, 6-2, 244, outside linebacker
With Nick Herbig (11 sacks, 15½ tackles for loss) in the NFL, at least one of the Badgers’ outside linebackers must blossom and provide a consistent threat off the edge. The staff has lauded the improvement of returner C.J. Goetz, but Pietrowski could provide a boost. He started three games as a sophomore at Michigan State two seasons ago and recorded 5½ sacks and seven tackles for loss. He suffered a season-ending leg injury in the third game of the 2022 season but during spring ball appeared capable of setting the edge against the run and beating tackles with speed or power to pressure the quarterback.
Jason Maitre, 5-10, 188, cornerback
Maitre came to UW after playing in 44 games for Boston College. He worked at both cornerback and safety for the Eagles but is set to work in the slot for UW. During spring ball and again in preseason camp Maitre appeared to be solid in coverage and was a willing and physical hitter on running plays. If he isn't afraid to go toe-to-toe with UW's Braelon Allen in practice, he likely won't fear any Big Ten backs he will face in 2023.
Bryson Green, 6-1, 215, wide receiver
After undergoing shoulder surgery in the offseason, Green was limited to individual drills in the spring. Wide receivers coach Mike Brown liked what he saw in the spring from transfers Will Pauling, CJ Williams and Quincy Burroughs. After seeing Green flourish in camp, Brown believes UW has a tenacious, physical receiver.
Green started six games as a freshman at Oklahoma State and contributed 12 catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns. He had a more prominent role last season and finished with 36 catches for 584 yards and five touchdowns.
Green isn’t afraid to go over the middle of the field and has shown the ability to make contested catches. He could be a particularly dangerous option in the red zone.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Badgers football relies on transfers; here are 5 to watch
