Wisconsin lost a tight end to the portal the day it opened in Riley Nowakowski. It made a major splash five days later when it secured a commitment from Tanner Koziol, one of the best available tight ends on the open market.

Nowakowski caught 11 passes for 74 yards this season. Koziol reeled in 94 receptions for 839 yards and eight touchdowns. That's an upgrade in every sense of the word.

Koziol is an imposing target. Standing at 6-foot-7, 237 pounds, he has the size to overwhelm defensive backs but also the wiggle to out-maneuver linebackers. As Ball State's leading receiver by a wide margin, he averaged about eight catches and 70 yards each game. He also reeled in 73 percent of his targets, displaying how reliable of an option he was for Cardinals quarterback Kadin Semonza.

Koziol, a true junior in 2024, had been involved in the Ball State offense ever since he stepped on campus. Over his freshman and sophomore seasons, he corralled 69 receptions for 668 yards and 10 touchdowns. But his explosion in 2024 helped him finish as the second-most productive tight end in the nation, just behind Bowling Green's Harold Fannin Jr. Still, his 94 receptions were fourth in the entire nation.

Going into the spring, Wisconsin was projected to have seven scholarship tight ends on the roster. Still, between the three juniors Tucker Ashcraft, JT Seagreaves and Jackson McGohan, none had yet asserted themselves as a reliable option either as a receiver or a blocker. The other four options consisted of two true freshman and two redshirt freshman, none of whom will enter the spring practice period with any game experience.

Thus, Koziol should immediately be the favorite for the starting tight end role. In new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes' offense, tight ends were more involved than in Phil Longo's two seasons in Madison. In 2024, Kansas tight ends accrued 50 targets as opposed to the 37 Badgers' tight ends saw.

Koziol should have one season of eligibility remaining. He's the second transfer portal pickup for the Badgers this cycle, and the second in as many days after former Louisville edge rusher Mason Reiger pledged to Wisconsin on Friday night.

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