Wisconsin’s transfer-portal approach has leaned hard on experience, and this offseason was no different. The Badgers brought in three players who should matter in 2026: Miami (OH) wing Eian Elmer, three-and-D guard Trey Autry and athletic forward Victory Onuetu.
Add in overseas point guard Owen Foxwell, and Wisconsin’s four experienced newcomers all share the same label: seniors.
That has been the Badgers’ recent pattern. Greg Gard has repeatedly emphasized the value of older players in the portal, and last season Wisconsin added three seniors - Nick Boyd, Braeden Carrington and Andrew Rohde. Elijah Gray would have made it four before being dismissed from the team prior to the start of the year.
The year before that, Wisconsin’s biggest splash was John Tonje, who was entering his sixth season of college basketball. The Badgers also brought in Xavier Amos and Camren Hunter, both of whom had two years of eligibility, though those moves did not work out the way the staff hoped.
The logic is easy to understand. In a sport defined by constant roster churn, experience gives you a better shot at being ready to win right away. But the new 5-for-5 rule change has introduced a different wrinkle, because seniors coming in now could potentially have another year left.
That matters for Wisconsin because Elmer, Autry and Onuetu are all eligible for a fifth year. Foxwell, meanwhile, will have just one season in Madison. The same could also apply to returners such as Nolan Winter and Jack Janicki, who could come back for a fifth season.
So did that extra year come up when Wisconsin was recruiting transfers?
“It really wasn’t,” general manager Marc VandeWettering said last week. “You know, I think it was in the back of our minds, but it was never really a part of the conversation. We didn’t want to be in a situation where we were overpromising something.
“And like we’ve said multiple times, we do take this year-to-year for the most part, and especially with those guys that, you know, when we were signing them, they were having only one year of eligibility. Right. And now with those rules changing, we’ll have those conversations, reengage with them as things get settled in here, get them through the summer session, and then evaluate from there.”
VandeWettering also said there is a chance those seniors could return, and that Wisconsin will revisit those discussions in the fall as it sorts out its future plans.
For now, the Badgers have built this roster around older players who can help immediately. How that changes going forward, with the fifth year now in play, will be worth watching the next time Wisconsin hits the portal.
In Other News...
Badgers Face Painful New Uncertainty Around Promising Back Gideon Ituka
Gideon Itukas future has become one of the most sobering storylines around Wisconsin this offseason. The running back was not included on the official 2026 roster, a notable sign for a player who had been expected to be part of the programs backfield mix before last seasons injury changed everything. Even with that uncertainty, Ituka remains around the team and continues to be involved in some capacity as he works through the aftermath of a severe setback.
Luke Fickells latest update only deepened the concern, because the coach made clear there is no clean timeline for a return. For a player who still had reasons to believe he could carve out a role in Madison, the issue now is less about when he might be back and more about whether he will ever be cleared to play contact football again. [Read more 🡒]
Badgers Making Early Push For In-State Lineman Fans Need To Watch
Wisconsin has already made contact with in-state defensive lineman Zachery Lavoe, a 2028 prospect who is starting to pick up real early attention. The Badgers have also lined up a campus visit for him on Sept. 19, giving the staff a closer look at a player who is still early in the recruiting process but already on the radar of several programs.
Lavoe has drawn interest from Missouri, Minnesota and Iowa State, though he has not landed a scholarship offer yet. For Wisconsin, the bigger question is how he would fit along the defensive front, especially as the staff continues sorting out its board and weighing where he might line up alongside other targets such as Hendrix Dawson. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Fickell Finally Said What Wisconsin Fans Needed To Hear
At Big Ten media day, Luke Fickell sounded like a coach who knows Wisconsin can no longer lean on its history to do the heavy lifting. He said the program has fallen short of the standard it expects, and he pointed to a series of behind-the-scenes changes over the last nine months in how the Badgers operate, prepare and recover as evidence that the reset is already underway.
Fickell also made clear that the support structure around the program looks different now, with more help in the front office, on the coaching staff and in recruiting than before. For Wisconsin fans, the encouraging part was not just the acknowledgment of what has gone wrong, but the sense that the Badgers are trying to rebuild the identity that has long defined them, with a renewed emphasis on toughness and discipline going forward. [Read more 🡒]