The big blows are starting to come, as the Wisconsin Badgers are losing starting wide receiver Trech Kekahuna to the transfer portal, he announced on Wednesday.
Kekahuna, a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023, was a first-year full-time starter for the Badgers this season, catching a career-high 26 passes for 211 yards. As a redshirt freshman, the Hawaii native had 25 catches for 339 yards and two scores.
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The flashes of potential have always been there for Kekahuna. He had 198 of his 334 receiving yards in two games last season when he was the starter (134 yards vs. Purdue, 64 yards vs. Minnesota). This season, however, Wisconsin could never feature him as a top receiver, struggling to find ways to get him the ball.
Kekahuna entered the transfer portal last offseason as well, as he was behind Will Pauling on the depth chart in the slot. That prompted Wisconsin to fight to keep him with the Badgers, with quarterbacks coach Kenny Guiton acknowledging in the offseason that they essentially chose Kekahuna over Pauling, who departed for Notre Dame in the portal.
Now, the redshirt sophomore is entering the transfer portal once again in search of a better opportunity. He’ll have two years of remaining eligibility at his next destination.
Wisconsin will have to likely hit the transfer portal hard for wide receivers this offseason after they figure out their quarterback situation. Currently, the Badgers are projected to lose the team’s top four pass-catchers from a season ago (Lance Mason, Vinny Anthony, Trech Kekahuna, Jayden Ballard).
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They are currently projected to return starter Chris Brooks Jr., freshman Eugene Hilton, and senior Tyrell Henry as the team’s top receivers. Those three combined for 24 catches and 244 yards this season. So, they will need to recruit well and find some top wideouts in the portal this offseason.
