Honestly, walking into Camp Randall next fall is going to feel like attending a high school reunion where you don't recognize a single person.
The Wisconsin Badgers football news cycle has been a whirlwind lately, and if you haven't been checking the portal daily, you’ve likely missed the fact that the roster has been basically set on fire and rebuilt from the ashes. We aren’t talking about a few tweaks here and there. This is a full-scale clinical trial of Luke Fickell’s ability to survive in the "revenue share" era of college football.
The Great Offensive Disappearing Act
Here is a stat that should make any Badger fan double-check their beer: Wisconsin is returning only two offensive starters from the 2025 Week 1 lineup.
Think about that for a second.
Wide receiver Chris Brooks Jr. is one of the lonely survivors. The rest? Gone. Whether it was graduation, the draft, or the more common "thanks but no thanks" of the transfer portal, the continuity is zero. It’s a bold, maybe even desperate, strategy.
Luke Fickell is entering his fourth full season in 2026, and the honeymoon didn't just end—it ended with a 4-8 record in 2025. That was the program's most losses since 1990. Fans are restless. The boosters are checking their watches. But Athletic Director Chris McIntosh hasn’t flinched yet, publicly backing Fickell while promising a massive "elevation of investment."
Basically, the school is throwing money at the problem to see if it fixes the win-loss column.
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Meet Your New Quarterback: Colton Joseph
The biggest piece of Wisconsin Badgers football news this winter was the landing of Colton Joseph. If you didn't watch much Sun Belt football last year, Joseph was the engine behind Old Dominion.
He’s a dual-threat nightmare.
Last season, Joseph threw for over 2,600 yards and ran for over 1,000. He’s the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, and he’s exactly the kind of "off-schedule" playmaker that Jeff Grimes' offense lacked last year. Wisconsin’s offense was ranked 135th out of 136 FBS teams in scoring last season. 12.8 points per game. That isn't just bad; it’s historically offensive.
Joseph brings a mobility that should, in theory, mask some of the inevitable growing pains of a brand-new offensive line. Speaking of the line, it’s a mess of new faces. We're looking at transfers like Austin Kawecki from Oklahoma State and Lucas Simmons from Florida State trying to gel in about six months.
Why the Defense Might Actually Be Okay
While the offense is a total mystery box, the defense has some pillars.
Javan Robinson is the name you need to know. He’s the only upperclassman in the cornerbacks room with real-deal starting experience. He’s the glue. Then you’ve got Bryce West, the Ohio State transfer who has three years of eligibility left. Getting a guy like West—a former top-30 national recruit—is the "Wolf of Wall Street" style recruiting Fickell recently joked about.
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They also added Junior Poyser and Hammond Russell to plug the middle. Losing guys like Ben Barten and Jay’viar Suggs hurt, but the portal has been kinder to the defensive side of the ball.
The Badgers have added nearly 30 players through the portal this cycle. It's a revolving door.
What Most People Get Wrong About the 2026 Class
There’s a narrative out there that Wisconsin’s recruiting is "dying" because the high school class is ranked in the 60s or 70s.
It’s not dying. It’s just changing.
The Badgers lost their "crown jewel" recruit, four-star RB Amari Latimer, who flipped to West Virginia on National Signing Day. That stung. It left the high school class looking pretty thin, mostly filled with three-star developmental guys like Qwantavius "Fatboy" Wiggins.
But Fickell is clearly pivoting. He’s betting the house on "proven" college players over "potential" high school stars. It’s a risky game. If you don't build a culture with guys who are there for four years, do you even have a program? Or do you just have a collection of mercenaries?
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The Schedule and the Stakes
The 2026 season opens with a massive spotlight: Notre Dame at Lambeau Field on September 6th.
There is no "tune-up" game. No "let's see how the new QB looks against a cupcake" week. It’s straight into the fire in Green Bay.
If Colton Joseph and this island of misfit transfers can't move the ball against the Irish, the pressure on Fickell will go from "simmer" to "boil" by halftime. The Big Ten isn't getting any easier with Oregon, USC, and Washington now fully integrated. Wisconsin can't afford to be the "middle of the pack" team anymore.
Actionable Insights for the 2026 Season
If you're trying to track how this team is actually trending, don't look at the scoreboard in the spring game. Look at these three things instead:
- Offensive Line Continuity: Keep an eye on Emerson Mandell. He’s one of the few returning guys who played significant snaps. If he stays at right tackle and the center-quarterback exchange with Kawecki and Joseph is clean by August, there’s hope.
- The "Stay" Rate: Watch for guys like Eugene Hilton Jr. and Charles Perkins. They both put their names in the portal and then withdrew. That’s a huge sign of locker room health. If Fickell can keep his remaining talent from jumping ship, the "mercenary" label won't stick.
- Red Zone Efficiency: With a mobile QB like Colton Joseph, the playbook inside the 20-yard line has to change. If the Badgers are still settling for field goals after 1,000-yard rushers like Abu Sama III (the Iowa State transfer) get them down the field, the coaching staff will have some explaining to do.
The era of "three yards and a cloud of dust" is dead in Madison. What’s replaced it is a high-stakes gamble that would make a Vegas bookie sweat.
Next up for the Badgers is the closing of the spring portal window. We'll see if Fickell adds one more veteran wideout to give Joseph a true #1 target before fall camp kicks off.