Wisconsin FB News: Badgers Offer Transfer DBs, LB Enters Portal, More
Your weekly Wisconsin football news recap.
It’s been a busy couple of days for the Wisconsin football program, ladies and gents, but fear not because BadgerNotes can help get you back up to speed with a roundup of some important news you may have missed.
Badgers Offer a Pair of Transfer Portal DBs
At this point, the Wisconsin football coaching staff feels good about their top three cornerbacks, Alexander Smith, Ricardo Hallman, and Jason Maitre. However, the depth behind them might not be up to snuff.
After missing on Boston College CB Josh DeBerry, the Badgers extended offers to two intriguing options capable of seeing the field in 2023.
The first offer was to Rhode Island transfer defensive back Antonio Carter, who has two years remaining eligibility. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound CB recorded 60 total tackles, 11 pass deflections, 4.5 tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, and an interception for the Rams.
Kentucky, West Virginia, and Baylor are also in the mix.
The second offer went out to Ole Miss corner Markevious Brown who also has two years remaining eligibility. Brown was a former four-star recruit in the 2021 class out of IMG Academy in Florida.
He’s appeared in 13 games throughout his career, 12 of which came last season, registering 19 tackles, one for a loss, and two passes defended.
It’s become clear that the Wisconsin football staff wants to find a player experienced enough to see the field in 2023 and step into a more prominent role next season.
Wisconsin Loses Linebacker to Transfer Portal
The Wisconsin football program lost its second player during spring practice when senior linebacker Spencer Lytle announced on social media that he was entering the transfer portal.
“My time at Wisconsin has been great, but after a lot of thought, I have realized it’s time to move on,” Lytle wrote in a social media post. “That being said, I have decided to enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer with 2 years of eligibility left.”
Lytle, a fifth-year senior, was a former four-star recruit who appeared in just 15 games during his career with the Badgers. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound LB was a huge recruiting win but battled injuries and never quite found his footing, bouncing back and forth between inside and outside linebacker.
The California native registered seven tackles with UW and will look for a fresh start, like former teammate Julius Davis who entered the portal last week. He’s already reported offers from Liberty, Ohio, and Miami (OH).
Several others are sure to follow, considering the Wisconsin football program is currently over the scholarship limit.
Other Wisconsin Football News
This past weekend, 2024 three-star running back Gideon Ituka, out of Gaithersburg, Maryland, took his first unofficial visit to Madison to watch “The Launch.”
“They’ve had a lot of great running backs play there who won Heisman awards and have taken home a lot of trophies. Being part of that culture is a great opportunity for me,” Ituka told BadgerBlitz.com.
According to the 247Sports composite rankings, he is the No. 73 RB in the 2024 recruiting class and the No. 24 player in Maryland.
You can watch his HUDL film here.
The 5-foot-10, 225-pound tailback, who ran for 1,106 yards and 16 touchdowns as a Junior, holds offers from Boston College, Liberty, Maryland, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, Toledo, and several other schools.
From what I’ve heard, Ituka is high on the board of running back targets for the Wisconsin football program as a change-of-pace bruising option behind the speed backs they’re also recruiting.
He’s planning on taking an official visit to Wisconsin later this summer. I like where the Badgers currently sit.
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