With the NCAA Transfer Portal open this December, the Badgers are bolstering their roster to prepare for the 2025 season. Wisconsin has already added a handful of playmakers and will continue to attract talent until the portal closes on Dec. 22. Follow along below to learn more about fresh faces joining the Badgers' roster.
Billy Edwards Jr.
Quarterback - Maryland
- Has played in 26 games over the last three seasons at Maryland and made 11 starts in 2024 for the Terrapins
- Ranked 3rd in the Big Ten with 261.9 passing yards per game in 2024 and 2nd in the conference with 273 completions
- Threw for 250+ yards in seven straight games this fall, joining C.J. Stroud (Ohio State, 2021) as the only two Big Ten QBs to accomplish the feat since 1996
- Threw for 373 yards on 39-for-50 passing in Maryland’s win over USC on Oct. 19 – Became the second Big Ten QB over the last two seasons to post 350+ passing yards and 35+ completions in a single game
Danny O'Neil
Quarterback - San Diego State
- Became SDSU’s first true freshman QB to earn the starting nod to begin a season ever – Went on to start 11 games for the Aztecs this fall
- Named the Mountain West’s Freshman of the Week in back-to-back weeks after wins over Hawai’i and Wyoming
- Completed 209 of 330 pass attempts this fall, good for the Mountain West’s fourth-best completion percentage (63.3%)
- Prepped at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis and started at quarterback for three seasons – Earned a three-star recruiting status
Parker Petersen
Defensive Line - Tulane
- Posted 25 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks as a redshirt junior in 2024 at Tulane
- Tallied a season-high three tackles in four different games during the 2024 season
- Recorded a TFL in four consecutive games from 9/21-10/19
- Helped the Green Wave earn a trip to the AAC Championship Game
- Rated as a three-star prospect out of Father Ryan HS in Nashville, Tenn.
Tanner Koziol
Tight End - Ball State
- Ranked fourth in the nation with 7.8 receptions per game as a junior at Ball State in 2024, earning second team All-MAC honors
- Broke the Ball State program records for single-season and career receptions, catching 94 passes for 839 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024
- Finished Ball State career with 18 receiving scores and more than 1,500 receiving yards
- A Bloomingdale, Ill. native, Koziol played at Lake Park, Nazareth Academy and Mt. Vernon
- Pronounced: KOE-zee-ull
Matthew Traynor
Safety - Richmond
- Made 69 tackles as a sophomore at Richmond in 2024 and grabbed a pair of interceptions
- Showed versatility all season, playing on the back end, in the box and at the nickel, according to PFF
- Tallied a career-high 12 tackles against Campbell on Nov. 9 and registered a pair of TFLs
- Originally a Marietta, Ga., native and attended George Walton High School
Charles Perkins
Defensive Line - UT-Martin
- Tallied 40 tackles, nine TFLs and 2.5 sacks in 2024 as a redshirt sophomore at UT-Martin on his way to first team all-conference honors in the Ohio Valley Conference
- Earned FCS Freshman All-America status in 2023, playing in 10 games and totaling 24 tackles and 4.0 sacks
- A Memphis, Tenn., native, Perkins tallied 15.5 sacks as a high school senior at Memphis Academy of Health Sciences
Mason Reiger
Defensive Line - Louisville
- Played in 33 career games for the Cardinals, but missed the 2024 season due to injury
- Ranked second for Louisville with five sacks in 2023
- Made a season-high four tackles and two sacks while also forcing a fumble in Louisville's win over Notre Dame in 2023
- A Hoffman Estates, Ill., native, Reiger prepped at Conant High School
Corey Walker
Defensive Line - UT-Martin
- Tallied 38 tackles in 2024, ranking seventh for the Western Michigan Broncos
- Led Western Michigan with 5.5 sacks in 2024
- Made a career-high seven tackles, including three TFLs and two sacks, versus Central Michigan on Nov. 19
- Tallied 31 tackles and eight TFLs in 2023 at Western Michigan
- Grew up in Normal, Ill., and attended Normal West High School
Tyreese Fearbry
Outside Linebacker - Kentucky
- Played in 11 of Kentucky's 12 games in 2024 as a redshirt sophomore, made 14 tackles
- Tallied a career-high five tackles and posted a QB hurry against No. 3 Texas
- Played in all 13 games in 2023, making six tackles
- Rated as a four-star recruit out of Perry Traditional Academy (Pittsburgh)
- Pronounced 'FEAR-bree'
Micheal Garner
Defensive Line - Grambling State
- Played in six games in 2024 as a sophomore at Grambling State, making 11 tackles, 4.5 TFLs and two sacks
- Originally ranked as the No. 54 prospect from Illinois in the 2023 class
Jayden Ballard
Wide Receiver - Ohio State
- Has played in 35 games across his four seasons at Ohio State
- Grabbed two passes for 18 yards in 2024
- Posted eight catches for 155 yards and a touchdown in 2022
- Ranked as a top-100 prospect and the No. 3 overall player in Ohio as part of the 2021 recruiting class
- Caught 25 touchdown passes during his career at Massillon Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio
Geimere Latimer
Cornerback - Jacksonville State
- Made 46 tackles and grabbed three interceptions as a sophomore at Jacksonville State in 2024
- Played in all 13 games as a freshman in 2023, making two starts at corner
- Played quarterback in high school, totaling 3,007 passing yards and 37 TDs as a senior at Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Ga.
Eli Stein
Long Snapper - Arkansas
- Has served as Arkansas' starting longsnapper from 2022-24
- Named to the Patrick Mannelly Award Watch List in 2023 and 2024
- Rated as the No. 2 long snapper in the national 2022 class out of Cambridge High School
- Father, Jeff, played football at Wisconsin from 1984-87
Antarron Turner
Linebacker - Western Carolina
- Tied for the team lead with 61 tackles in 2024, including 6.5 TFLs and a team-high three sacks
- Played in all 11 games as a redshirt freshman in 2023, making eight total tackles
- Attended A.L. Brown High School in North Carolina and grew up in Ocala, Fla.
