The transfer portal has changed college sports, several Wisconsin athletes have used it to their benefit

The transfer portal is intended to make the transfer process for student athletes easier. Introduced by the NCAA in 2018, it allows for a form of free agency to exist for athletes in collegiate sports and acts as a database that makes their first step of transferring easier. 

Prior to the introduction of the portal, student athletes had to ask their coaches for permission to get in contact with other schools about transferring. Then they used their coaches’ connections to get the word out that they were available. 

Now, it’s an all-in-one first step where coaches can see what players have become available via the portal. Granted, coaches still have to recruit the players, but it makes the student athletes’ task at hand easier. 

In 2021, the NCAA made a crucial amendment to the portal in which players who transferred could play the immediate season following. Before this rule adaptation, players would have to sit out the season following their transfer.

The portal has drastically changed the landscape of college athletics since its inception, and this plays into sports at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the past few years, the Badgers have gained some notable student-athletes, including its past two starting quarterbacks in Tanner Mordecai and Tyler Van Dyke, and basketball star AJ Storr. 

Mordecai transferred twice during his collegiate career, first playing for Oklahoma from 2018-2020, but was a backup to Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts and Spencer Rattler during his time in Norman. He then transferred to Southern Methodist University, benefitting from the first year of the portal. After two fruitful years with the Mustangs, Mordecai used his final year of eligibility to play for the Badgers. 

Mordecai had an up-and-down 2023 with the Badgers. He played 10 games and only threw nine touchdown passes. Van Dyke is a slightly different story. He played in parts of four seasons at the University of Miami and started off red hot, winning ACC Rookie of the Year in 2021. Ultimately, Van Dyke had a poor 2023 season and sought out other opportunities elsewhere. He joined the Badgers as a graduate transfer for the 2024 season but tore his ACL just three games into the season. 

Fortunately, Brayden Locke has been excellent in place of Van Dyke, as the Badger football team sits at 5-4 with number one ranked Oregon coming to town on Saturday, Nov. 16.  

Storr was the star of the Wisconsin men’s basketball team during the 2023-24 season. After arriving from St. John’s University, the shooting guard averaged 16 points per game and was named to the second-team All-Big Ten. He flirted with the 2024 NBA Draft before ultimately transferring to Kansas. Storr remains a top prospect for the 2025 NBA Draft. 

Former Badgers Chucky Hepburn and Connor Esegian also transferred following the 2023-2024 season. Hepburn transferred to Louisville and Esegian to Nebraska. 

With many of their star players gone, the basketball team will likely not have the success that they enjoyed last season. But, they made some moves in the portal, acquiring forward John Tonje from Missouri and Central Arkansas guard Camren Hunter. The Badgers stand a chance to make the tournament in the newly expanded Big Ten, but it is unlikely to be a fifth seed like last season. 

There is still hope for successful football and basketball seasons this year for the Badgers. 

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