Some left a lasting impact on the Wisconsin Badgers football program and some barely suited up at all, but several ex-UW football players played their 2025 regular seasons elsewhere. Here’s a look at recently departed players competing in Division I FCS and FBS programs elsewhere on the map.
We’ll start with players who transferred out of the program last year.
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Tanner Koziol, tight end, Houston
Houston Cougars tight end Tanner Koziol (9) catches a touchdown past ASU Sun Devils safety Adrian Wilson (9) at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Oct. 25, 2025.
Koziol transferred to Wisconsin from Ball State in December 2024 after a highly productive three seasons at the school but transferred out in April before ever playing a game for the Badgers. He has 65 receptions for 651 yards and five touchdowns for the the 9-3 Cougars.
Xavier Lucas, defensive back, Miami
Oct 4, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Duce Robinson reaches for a ball against Miami Hurricanes cornerback Xavier Lucas (6) during the first half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images
The subject of a legal battle between Wisconsin and Miami over his transfer, Lucas had one interception and 18 tackles for the Badgers in 2024 as a backup. This season for the 10-2 Hurricanes, he has one interception and 23 tackles as a starter. His team has a good chance to appear in the College Football Playoff.
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Braedyn Locke, quarterback, Arizona
Forced into action with the Badgers in both 2023 and 2024 because of injuries to the starters, Locke especially struggled last season, completing 55% of his passes for 1,936 yards, with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. This season as a backup with the 9-3 Wildcats, he has completed five of 15 passes for 68 yards, with one interception.
Riley Nowakowski, tight end, Indiana
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA – NOVEMBER 15: Riley Nowakowski #37 of the Indiana Hoosiers scores a touchdown against D’Yoni Hill #5, Matt Jung #29 and Cooper Catalano #44 of the Wisconsin Badgers during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium on November 15, 2025 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The Marquette High School alum had 18 catches in three seasons with the Badgers, but has 23 catches for 296 yards and two touchdowns for the 11-0 Hoosiers, a team about to face off with Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game and will certainly hear its name called when the field is unveiled for the College Football Playoff.
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Will Pauling, wide receiver, Notre Dame
Wisconsin’s top receiver the last two seasons, Pauling caught 74 passes for 837 yards and six touchdowns in 2023 and 42 passes for 407 yards and three touchdowns in 2024. This year with the 10-2 Irish, he has 26 catches with 381 yards and six touchdowns. The program is in prime position to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Tawee Walker, running back, Cincinnati
Walker, a transfer from Oklahoma, was the Badgers’ leading rusher in 2024, with 890 yards on 190 carries, with 10 touchdowns. This season at Cincinnati, he has 709 yards on 120 carries, a 5.9-yard average, with four touchdowns.
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Eli Stein, long snapper, Cincinnati
Stein transferred to UW from Arkansas in December 2024 but left for Cincinnati in April. He has played in all 12 games this season and has four tackles.
Quincy Burroughs, wide receiver, Western Kentucky
Burroughs, who initially transferred into the Wisconsin program from Cincinnati, caught five passes in two seasons at Wisconsin. He has eight catches this season.
Mark Hamper, wide receiver, California
Hamper transferred to Wisconsin from Idaho in December 2024 but, like Koziol, left in April before ever suiting up in a game. He has 17 catches for 202 yards this season.
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Anelu Laefele, edge rusher, Michigan State
Laefele didn’t play in any games for the Badgers in 2024. This season, he had seven tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in five games before sustaining a foot injury that ended his season.
CJ Williams, wide receiver, Stanford
Williams caught 31 passes over two seasons at Wisconsin following his transfer from USC. He caught 59 passes for 749 yards, with six touchdowns this season for the 4-8 Cardinal.
James Thompson Jr., defensive lineman, Illinois
Sep 13, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. celebrates a 38-0 win against the Western Michigan Broncos at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Thompson played every game for Wisconsin in the 2021 through 2023 seasons, with 18 starts, before missing 10 games with an injury in 2024 and taking a redshirt season. He has 34 tackles and 1.5 sacks this season.
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Curt Neal, defensive lineman, Illinois
Neal started every game for Wisconsin in 2024 and played in every game in 2023, totaling 42 tackles over the two seasons. He has 15 tackles this season.
Leon Lowery Jr., linebacker, Illinois
Lowery transferred from Syracuse and played 12 games, with 10 starts, for Wisconsin in 2024, making 29 tackles. This season, he played in 11 games, with 18 tackles and two sacks.
Tyler Van Dyke, quarterback, SMU
Van Dyke, a transfer from Miami, was the Badgers’ starting quarterback for the first three games in 2024 but sustained a season-ending knee injury that also has kept him out this season. He said he expects to play next year, his seventh in college football.
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Braedyn Moore, defensive back, Toledo
Moore played seven games for the Badgers in 2024. He has six tackles in 12 games this season.
Amare Snowden, cornerback, Toledo
Snowden played in two games with the Badgers in 2024. He transferred to Toledo to play baseball and football but didn’t play in any football games this season.
Jonas Duclona, defensive back, South Florida
Duclona played in 16 games with the Badgers in 2023 and 2024, mostly on special teams. He has 33 tackles and one interception with the 9-3 Bulls this season.
Justin Taylor, safety, Wyoming
Taylor played in two games with Wisconsin in 2024 after redshirting the prior year. He has 19 tackles and one interception this season.
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Derek Jensen, offensive lineman, Iowa State
The Arrowhead High School alumnus Jensen didn’t play in any games this season.
Mabrey Mettauer, quarterback, Sam Houston State
A highly regarded recruit from Texas, Mettauer briefly appeared in mop-up duty over three games with Wisconsin last season. Following former UW offensive coordinator Phil Longo to the Bearkats, he completed 36 of 61 passes for 294 yards this season.
Grady O’Neill, wide receiver, Sam Houston State
O’Neill played sparingly with the Badgers in 2024. He has 38 catches for 392 yards this season.
Jace Arnold, defensive back, Sam Houston State
Arnold played in 10 games for Wisconsin in 2024, with one tackle. He has 22 tackles this season.
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Kamo’i Latu, defensive back, Connecticut
Latu played 11 games for Wisconsin in 2023 but was injured most of the 2024 season. He has five 14 tackles for the Huskies this season.
James Durand, offensive lineman, Western Illinois
Durand played one game for Wisconsin in 2024. He has started every game this season.
Hank Weber, defensive lineman, Samford
Weber didn’t play in any games last season. He has 11 tackles in 11 games this season.
Cole LaCrue, quarterback, Eastern Illinois
LaCrue didn’t play for the Badgers in 2024 after redshirting in 2023. This season, he played in 11 games, completing 81 of 148 passes for 851 yards, with four touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran for 498 yards on 125 carries, with seven scores, including 193 yards in the first game of the season.
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Max Lofy, defensive back, Rice
Lofy played in 30 games for the Badgers in three seasons, with a redshirt year and another year lost to injury. After transferring to Rice, he learned that he had serious heart problems and retired. He had heart surgery in May.
Jay Harper, cornerback, Louisiana-Monroe
Harper redshirted for the Badgers in 2024. He has four tackles in eight games this season.
Notable Wisconsin transfers before last season
Nov 1, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies wide receiver Skyler Bell (1) makes the touchdown against UAB Blazers cornerback Tariq Watson (24) in the second quarter at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Perhaps you remember these former Badgers as well? They transferred elsewhere prior to last season, including one player who’s among the NCAA leaders in a few stat categories.
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Skyler Bell, wide receiver, Connecticut
Bell played two seasons with Wisconsin, catching 30 passes for 444 yards and five touchdowns in 2022 and 38 catches for 296 yards and one touchdown in 2023. Last season at UConn, he had 50 receptions for 860 yards and five touchdowns. This season, he’s second in all of Division I in catches (101), receiving yards (1,276) and touchdown catches (13).
Nick Evers, quarterback, Connecticut
A transfer from Oklahoma who was the first player to announce his commitment through the transfer portal after the hiring of head coach Luke Fickell, Evers just finished his second year at UConn, completing 10 of 15 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. He played in three games this season after appearing in nine last year.
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T.J. Bollers, defensive lineman, California
Bollers played in 15 Wisconsin games between 2022 and 2023 before transferring in April 2024. This season, he has 40 tackles.
Nolan Rucci, offensive lineman, Penn State
Rucci played six total games as a backup for the Badgers in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, he played in every game, with six starts. This season, he has started every game.
Myles Burkett, quarterback, Eastern Kentucky
The Franklin High School grad played two games for the Badgers in 2022 but didn’t play in 2023. He transferred to Albany and completed 145 of 265 passes in 2024 for 1,845 yards, with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Before this season, he moved to Eastern Kentucky, where he has completed 139 of 255 passes for 1,473 yards, with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also has rushed for 317 yards on 119 carries, with four scores.
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Keontez Lewis, wide receiver, Oklahoma
Lewis transferred from UCLA to Wisconsin before the 2022 season. He had 20 catches for 313 yards and three touchdowns that year, then redshirted in 2023. He transferred to Southern Illinois for the 2024 season and had 49 catches for 813 yards and five touchdowns. He transferred again to Oklahoma and, this season, has 20 catches for 238 yards and two touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How Wisconsin football transfers fared at new schools in 2025
