Wisconsin's tight end room and its offense as a whole suffered a serious setback as prized transfer Tanner Koziol entered the portal on Wednesday.
An early catch for the Badgers in the winter portal window, just the second player Wisconsin signed in that period, Koziol was an early building block for the Badgers' offense in 2025 and the undisputed top tight end in coach Nate Letton's room.
Koziol exploded onto the scene in his junior season at Ball State. After two productive years as an underclassman, the tight end put it all together in 2024, reeling in 94 catches for 839 yards and eight touchdowns. HIs 94 receptions were fourth in the entire nation, and he was the second-most productive tight end in the country behind Bowling Green's Harold Fannin Jr.
That breakout performance earned him four stars as the 83rd best player available in the country in Rivals' transfer portal rankings. He was the third-highest ranked tight end in the portal behind Max Klare (Ohio State) and Luke Hasz (Ole Miss).
Koziol started off quiet in Wisconsin's spring practices, but made his presence known in the third practice of camp, dominating a red zone period. He put his jump-ball skills on full display in a performance that, at the time, cemented himself as a unicorn playmaker on this offense.
The tight end then suffered an injury when the Badgers returned from spring break, but was spotted working off to the side in subsequent practices, riding a stationary bike. Then, he disappeared from practice altogether.
Koziol's departure leaves Wisconsin with seven total tight ends (all scholarship players), six of whom are currently on campus. The Badgers will be joined by true freshman Nizyi Davis this summer.
In terms of the depth chart, there's plenty of snaps up for grabs, especially with how loyal new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes is to the '12' personnel look (one running back, two tight ends). Jackson Acker is the lone senior in the room, and he certainly figures to get involved, but expect junior Tucker Ashcraft and redshirt freshman Grant Stec to be the top options. The latter has gotten consistent looks with the first and second team, while Ashcraft underwent one of the more notable physical transformations on the roster this offseason and is a much more imposing physical specimen heading into his junior year.
With the spring transfer portal window officially opening on Wednesday, April 16 and remaining open until the 25th, the Badgers should expect to see some more movement in and out of the program. Though head coach Luke Fickell has said he doesn't anticipate utilizing the spring portal window extensively, the departure of what was projected to be a significant playmaker and an offensive line reeling from injuries may force his hand.
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