Ranking Wisconsin Football's Defensive Transfers by Impact for 2026

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Wisconsin cornerback Eric Fletcher. | Christian Borman.

The Badgers' sprawling, 33-man incoming transfer class is a big reason as to why optimism abounds in Madison this summer that Wisconsin football can finally right the ship.

Transfers should make an impact at each and every position on both sides of the ball in year four of the Luke Fickell era.

As we did for the offense, Badgers On SI ranks each incoming transfer on defense by their expected impact for the 2026 campaign:

1. CB Javan Robinson

Wisconsin cornerback Javan Robinson. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

One of several plug-and-play transfers on the defensive side of the ball, Robinson comes to Wisconsin with over 1,200 career snaps at cornerback and should immediately hold down Wisconsin's starting field corner role.

2. Safety Marvin Burks Jr.

A former two-year starter in the SEC at Missouri, Burks waltzes into Madison with no shortage of experience and confidence. A plus athlete who loves to hit and get physical by the line of scrimmage, Burks can play in the box or in the back end and is another instant plug-and-play starter.

3. CB Bryce West

Wisconsin's nickel/slot cornerback situation has been unsettled for a few seasons now. The Badgers have relied on mercenaries out of the transfer portal to hold down the position to little avail, and they went the same route this offseason. The difference? West is a former consensus blue-chip recruit who was ranked as high as No. 71 in the nation by On3/Rivals. Despite playing just 120 snaps at Ohio State, he looks like the real deal.

4. DL Hammond Russell IV

Russell was shouted out by Fickell, unprompted, after the first spring practice. The experienced 6th-year senior from West Virginia provides veteran leadership and excellent size as the Badgers' look to remain stout in the trenches in 2026. He's got a big workload coming this fall.

5. DL Junior Poyser

The Buffalo transfer is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-2, 328 pounds – and he looks significantly bigger in real life. Like Russell, Poyser has plenty of experience and posted a very solid 5.5 sacks and 31 tackles last fall with Buffalo. He should be a staple of what I expect to be a four-man rotation up front.

6. OLB Justus Boone

Former Arkansas Razorback defensive lineman Justus Boone. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Past the clear top player in the room, fifth-year senior Sebastian Cheeks, it's anyone's guess as to who could emerge on the edge for the Badgers. Nick Clayton has some hype, while the staff still clearly believes in Tyreese Fearbry. But the 6-foot-5, 280-pound Boone could be used to set edges on early downs and has some real athletic upside.

7. LB Jon Jon Kamara

The Badgers have two stud starting inside backers in Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano, but Kamara drew rave reviews this spring for the extra athleticism he brings to Tuf Borland's room. When Wisconsin deploys its three-inside linebacker package, Kamara will play that third ILB role (or the "STAR" on Mike Tressel's defense). He'll be asked to do it all, from run support to pass coverage to pass rush.

8. CB Eric Fletcher

Fletcher and the ensuing cornerback on this list, Florida State transfer Cai Bates, could easily be flipped should Bates out-perform Fletcher in fall camp. But the former Oklahoma State Cowboy Fletcher is more experienced, and while he's shown his warts in coverage on tape, he's got good size at 6-foot-1 and is blazing fast.

9. CB Cai Bates

I absolutely love what Bates brings to the table; there's no shortage of potential dripping off his lanky 6-foot-3 frame. He's been described as someone who can do "big corner stuff" by position coach Robert Steeples, and that's been sorely lacking in Madison for several seasons now.

10. Safety Carson Van Dinter

Wisconsin safety Carson Van Dinter. | Christian Borman.

The Iowa State transfer Van Dinter is an intriguing athlete. He's got some serious wheels, and he's extremely physical as well, both on tape and according to the defensive coordinator Tressel. He may be the No. 3 or even No. 4 safety in the room, but I'd still expect him to get plenty of rotational reps in the defensive backfield.

11. DL Jake Anderson

Anderson was banged up during spring practice and we didn't get to hear much out of the FCS transfer. Can his skillset transfer to the Big Ten? Luckily for Wisconsin, they should be just fine on the defensive line if it doesn't. But if it does? Anderson could be a secret weapon on this defense.

12. OLB Liam Danitz

Danitz' natural talent and feel for the game carried him at D-III Hope College. Now, he has to learn how to play outside linebacker in the Big Ten, which is obviously an entirely different universe. Again, it would be tremendous if he develops into a viable pass-rusher at this level, but Wisconsin has constructed a deep enough room to where that isn't vital to the unit's success.

13. DL DeNigel Cooper

Another guy we didn't hear all that much about this spring, the Appalachian State transfer Cooper looks pretty low on the defensive line pecking order this fall; I have him as the No. 5 or No. 6 player in that room.

14. LB Taylor Schaefer

The JUCO transfer shouldn't see the field all that much this fall, but the staff likes what the Wisconsin native brings to the table. Still, he has to prove himself at the Big Ten level.

15. OLB Jayden Loftin

Wisconsin went after Loftin out of high school but he spurned the Badgers and chose Tennessee. After taking a redshirt year in Knoxville, he's finally made it to Madison. Still, he's nothing more than a developmental depth piece for this upcoming season.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as Ranking Wisconsin Football's Defensive Transfers by Impact for 2026.

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