Luke Fickell didn’t wait long to point out which newcomers have already made their mark in Wisconsin’s transfer-heavy rebuild.
On Wilde and Tausch, the Badgers coach singled out two incoming transfers who have moved past the usual spring-ball hype and into real trust territory: cornerback Xavier Lucas Robinson and safety Marvin Burks.
“He’s a guy that, I don’t wanna say, exceeded all expectations, I thought he was a really good player on film. But I think that his ability to grow a little bit, get a little bigger, get a little stronger.
He’s probably, I know some would dispute, maybe the fastest guy on the team. I’d say he’s fastest guy on the team.
With a really good head on his shoulders, and he’s been a really good leader for us," Fickell said.
That’s a strong endorsement for Robinson, who was already expected to step into a starting role after arriving with more than 1,500 snaps of Power Four experience. The bigger takeaway from Fickell’s comments is that Robinson isn’t just holding steady - he’s still developing. For a Wisconsin secondary that needs both talent and leadership, that matters.
Fickell also had praise ready for Burks.
“I think Marvin, the safety from Missouri, has figured out and recognized a role not just as a leader, but as a guy who’s played a lot of ball. His growth of recognizing what the culture and the standards are here have been really good for our defense.”
Burks brings a different kind of value. He’s a two-year SEC starter who can line up in the box or on the back end, and that versatility gives Wisconsin options in a defense that underwent a major overhaul. The cornerback room, in particular, looks almost entirely remade.
The broader picture is clear enough: Wisconsin leaned hard into the portal again, signing 33 transfers, but this class looks more ready-made than some of the previous ones under Fickell. Robinson and Burks are already tracking like the kind of additions the Badgers were hoping for when they went shopping.
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