The Wisconsin football staff expected to move past off-season drama after the Xavier Lucas situation, but likely are not out of the woods.
Former Ball State standout tight end and top Wisconsin transfer recruit Tanner Koziol is allegedly expected to enter his name into the transfer portal once again. The keyword, however, is ‘allegedly’ as the tight end went completely dark on the staff before the news was released, and has yet to confirm on his own end.
Two sources close to Koziol confirmed the tight end traveled home after missing multiple practices and vanishing from his recovery sessions. The tight end did not answer calls from the staff, and also has not spoken to any media outlets about his lingering entrance into the portal.
Wisconsin Football Down a Tight End Following Tanner Koziol, Transfer Portal News
The Wisconsin football staff previously entered the transfer portal in search of a star tight end, but ultimately found themselves trapped in a bundle of new-age college football issues.
Koziol, as previously mentioned, was a standout for Ball State before unsurprisingly taking his talents to the transfer portal after a 3-9 season. The tight end finished last season with 94 receptions for 839-yards and eight touchdowns, solidifying himself as one of the top athletes at the position.
Wisconsin made a heavy push for the Ball State transfer and never looked back as the tight end was the only player at his position who shown serious interest.
Koziol had a solid first week of practices with the Wisconsin football team before the athlete sat out of practice due to a few minor injuries. The staff was confident the tight end would return to the practice field once healed, however, it was revealed that the tight end had actually traveled back home.
The talented tight end not only left for home without notifying seemingly any staff members, but also dodged phone calls afterwards. The staff had tried to contact Koziol through multiple phone calls but could not get in contact with the star transfer.
The Tanner Koziol, Wisconsin Football Saga Ends Without Ever Really Starting
After leaving Madison and cutting off contact for a period of time, the Wisconsin football staff came to the conclusion that Koziol would re-enter the transfer portal after doing so months earlier.
Currently, the exact reasons as to why Koziol will re-enter are not clear, but the rumors have been swirling following the shocking news. Some sources believe the situation is another prime example of what the NIL era has done to colege sports, with an athlete securing a payment and then leaving before fulfilling his on-field duties.
Koziol was previously labeled as an addition who represents major changes in Madison, with the Wisconsin football staff landing a commitment from a high-value target. On3 Sports previously reported that Koziol carried a hefty $650,000 NIL valuation along with him during his initial portal entrance.
However, other sources are confident that there is much more than what meets the eye to the situation, which means that it may not end with Koziol entering himself back into the portal.
Unfortunately for Wisconsin football fans, the exact truth behind the expected transfer portal re-entry and what occurred with Koziol could remain a mystery, which perhaps adds to the bizarre nature of the situation.
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