The Wisconsin Badgers are bidding farewell to an integral part of their defensive line in Rodas Johnson. Johnson, a graduate student, announced his decision to enter the transfer portal. He joins a long list of Wisconsin Badgers that have left, more notably on the offensive side, after Luke Fickell has taken over at the helm from Paul Chryst.
Latest #Badgers football player to enter the portal is DE Rodas Johnson. He was among the 20 players honored on Senior Day last month but has decided he wants to play one more season.
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) December 18, 2023
Johnson spent his four seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers, and has one year of eligibility left. It was originally thought that he would be done with college and playing football, but he decided to give it a go elsewhere through the transfer portal.
Rodas Johnson and the Wisconsin Badgers Defense
During his time with the Badgers, Johnson established himself as a reliable and consistent performer. He became a full-time starter during the 2022 season, and he entered 2023 as a pivotal part of the Badgers’ defense. He clocked 432 snaps on the field, which is the highest number of snaps among his peers in the defensive end group.
Rodas Johnson played in 38 games with the Wisconsin Badgers. He had a total of 51 tackles, 29 pressures, 10 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble. This past season, he came into his own with appearances in 12 games where he made 19 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, achieved a career-high 14 pressures, and notched 0.5 sacks.
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He first came to the Wisconsin Badgers when he committed as part of the 2019 recruiting class under coach Paul Chryst. Coming in as a high-three-star recruit, Johnson garnered attention from various programs, holding 27 scholarship offers, including notable ones from Penn State, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Rodas Johnson’s departure signifies a challenging phase for the Wisconsin Badgers’ defensive line, which was already thin and showed cracks this past season. He becomes the ninth scholarship player from the team to opt for the transfer portal this offseason, further thinning the ranks of the entire roster as Luke Fickell looks to bring his Air Raid offense in full force this next season.
