BadgerBlitz.com brings you our weekly "3-2-1" series where we focus in on how Wisconsin performed in the transfer portal this winter.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED DURING THE PORTAL WINDOW
1. Wisconsin made a significant overhaul at linebacker
At a minimum, Wisconsin added four transfer linebackers - Leon Lowery, John Pius, Jaheim Thomas and Tackett Curtis - who will be in the two-deep this spring.
Should all four hit the ground running during spring camp, the Badgers may have found four new starters in 2024. And that doesn't include Sebastian Cheeks, a highly-regarded prep prospect who played his first two collegiate seasons at North Carolina.
On the edge, Pius and Lowery should provide a significant boost to a unit that struggled to get to the quarterback in 2023. Wisconsin's outside linebackers produced just 9.5 sacks this past fall. Pius, coming off an FCS first-team All-American season at William & Mary, racked up that same number by himself this past season.
On the inside, Thomas, who played for coordinator Mike Tressel at Cincinnati, seems like a lock to start. Jake Chaney is a returning starter from the 2023 team, but he'll be pushed hard by Curtis, who saw time as a true freshman at USC. Cheeks and Christian Alliegro also figure to be in the mix for snaps.
Regardless of how the starting reps shake out, Wisconsin should have no less than 10 game-ready linebackers in 2024, a significant upgrade from the fall:
Inside: Thomas, Curtis, Alliegro, Chaney and Cheeks
Outside: Lowery, Pius, Darryl Peterson, Jeff Pietrowski and Aaron Witt
