Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell has added a massive target to his offense in the December transfer portal, both in terms of impact and physical size. 6’7”, 240-pound tight end Tanner Koziol, fresh into Madison by way of the Mid-American Conference’s Ball State Cardinals, gives the Badgers a versatile new weapon to work into their offense.
A former two-star recruit out of La Grange, Illinois in the class of 2021, Koziol began his college career under coach Mike Neu at Ball State, where he had 69 receptions for 668 yards and 10 touchdowns across his first two seasons as a Cardinal. His junior season, however, saw Koziol turn into one of the country’s top tight ends. He was fifth among all pass catchers and second among tight ends in 2024 with 94 receptions, adding another 839 yards and 8 touchdowns. Per PFF’s player ratings, Koziol was the third-best tight end in the country in 2024 with an 89.2 player grade.
In an interview with 247Sports, Koziol said that the transfer was “a dream” and that playing so close to where he grew up “made it feel like home”:
“All the people really made it feel like home. It’s only two hours away from home. Growing up in the Midwest, the Big Ten has always been a dream. The coaches made it feel like a really good situation.”
Koziol was named a First-Team Group of Five All-American and a semi-finalist for the John Mackey Award, given annually to the country’s top tight end, in 2024.
Koziol’s decision will be particularly stressful for Ball State, who also saw starting quarterback Kadin Semonza as well as Cam Pickett and Justin Bowick, the team’s top two wide receivers. Koziol, Pickett, and Bowick accounted for nearly 60% of the Cardinals’ receiving yards in 2024.
ROSTER RECONSTRUCTION
Koziol’s commitment to the Badgers is just one of many. Coming off a 5-7 season that saw Wisconsin miss a bowl game for the first time since 2001, Luke Fickell’s squad saw an astonishing 25 players enter the transfer portal.16 players have joined the Badgers this December in the portal.
Notable portal entries for the Badgers include quarterback Braedyn Locke, who went 3-7 as a starter this season, running back Tawee Walker (864 yards, 10 TDs), and wide receiver Will Pauling (42 receptions, 407 yards, 3 TDs).
QUARTERBACK QUESTIONS
A chief question remaining for Wisconsin will be the man under center. Braedyn Locke, who started 10 games for the Badgers after assuming the starting job in mid-September, announced his decision to transfer to Arizona in December. Three other Badger quarterbacks have announced their intentions to transfer as well, week one starter Tyler Van Dyke, Cole LaCrue, and Mabrey Mettauer. None of the three have signed with another school as of writing.
Even with two departures, the quarterback room in Madison is already starting to look crowded. One quarterback is confirmed to be returning to the roster (Milos Spasojevic), two have signed with the Badgers from the transfer portal (San Diego State’s Danny O’Neil and Maryland’s Billy Edwards Jr.), and two incoming freshmen will be arriving in the spring (Carter Smith and Landyn Locke). It will be a busy spring in Madison as Coach Fickell figures out which gunslinger will be running the show come August.
