Wisconsin
Sting Factor: Evaluating Wisconsin's early wave of transfers
Sting Factor: Evaluating Wisconsin’s early wave of transfers
Though the NCAA transfer portal doesn’t officially open until Dec. 9, many of the early dominos have begun to fall in terms of departures from programs nationwide.
Wisconsin is no exception. The Badgers have seen significant attrition already, with 13 players announcing their intention to enter the portal and counting. Notably, all of the Badgers’ defensive backs from the 2023 cycle are gone, and just five scholarship athletes remain from that class.
More players are likely to depart from Madison before the dust settles, but let’s take a look at the early departures and evaluate the ‘Sting Factor,’ or how much each loss hurts the program on a scale of 1-10.
STING FACTOR: 2
Cole LaCrue‘s departure hurts Wisconsin in the sense that it loses some depth at quarterback, but that’s the extent of the sting here, because that’s likely all LaCrue was ever going to be in Madison.
The quarterback was hurt this offseason, and was listed as out several times during the regular season as well. However, he’d already been passed by true freshman Mabrey Mettauer on the depth chart, do he was extremely unlikely to see snaps, healthy or not.
Wisconsin is expected to reload at quarterback this offseason with one if not two transfer portal additions. Thus, the former three-star quarterback’s departure is not a major casualty.
STING FACTOR: 4
It’s tough to lose a veteran player with starting experience, but Leon Lowery was underwhelming in his one season with the Badgers. He registered 29 tackles and one sack off of 11 pressures from his starting spot on the edge.
Simply put, that’s not nearly enough production for a starting outside linebacker on this defense. Not that his fellow pass-rushers did much better, but Lowery wasn’t a game-wrecker and couldn’t make a consistent impact. It would’ve been nice to see if the former Syracuse linebacker could develop with another year in the program, but Lowery only had one year of eligibility remaining regardless.
STING FACTOR: 6
This one hurts a bit. Amare Snowden was a huge get for the program when he pledged to head coach Luke Fickell as a Rivals250 recruit back in the 2023 class. A true 6-foot-4 cornerback with lanky arms and long strides, Snowden projected as a prototypical boundary corner. However, he barely managed to get on the field in his two seasons in Madison. He took a redshirt year in 2023 and was surpassed on the depth chart by true freshman Xavier Lucas in 2024.
Though he played just three snaps with Wisconsin (in the blowout win over Purdue this season), his potential makes his departure arguably one of, if not the biggest blow from the exodus of 2023 defensive backs.
STING FACTOR: 5
This is an interesting one. The staff seemed high on Jonas Duclona as a true freshman, inserting him into several regular season games and having him play 20 snaps in the ReliaQuest bowl against LSU. Then, in 2024, he played just 12 snaps, all of which came in one game (Week 3 versus Alabama).
Duclona flashed potential in practice, but we never saw enough of the cornerback in-game to truly know what we’re missing. Once again, the emergence of the freshman Lucas stifled the growth and development of Duclona. His loss hurts the depth in the room, certainly, and he was a sought-after player in high school with 34 offers. Still, it just wasn’t meant to be in Madison.
STING FACTOR: 3
Justin Taylor‘s loss hurts a touch more than other departures who had yet to play, primarily because he had versatile ability to man both the safety and corner spots in the secondary. Still, the staff clearly believed he wasn’t ready to play yet, as he redshirted in 2023 and played just four snaps in 2024.
STING FACTOR: 7
Curt Neal’s departure was the first significant starter to bid farewell to the Badgers. Though he logged just 30 tackles and failed to wreak much havoc as a starter, Wisconsin remains thin on the defensive line and Neal was one of few players it trusted to play regularly.
Neal appeared to be playing out-of-position at times, as at 6-foot, 290 pounds, he appeared better suited for a defensive end role rather than a defensive tackle whose primary job is to plug the middle of the line and eat up blockers. Too often, Neal got mauled by bigger offensive linemen.
A schematic change would likely need to be made for Neal to increase his impact in Madison, but nonetheless, losing an experienced starter in a room that’s already a position of need isn’t ideal.
STING FACTOR: 4
Jace Arnold is another 2023 defensive back, and he was a reserve corner who often played in the same lineup as his fellow ’23 corner Duclona in practice. He didn’t see any time as a true freshman, and played 11 total snaps in 2024 against Purdue and Northwestern. Again, Arnold’s path to playing time was clouded by Lucas’ emergence, but with the expected departure of at least one of Wisconsin’s starting corners, opportunities existed for the young Georgia native.
STING FACTOR: 6
Braedyn Moore was likely next up at safety, and this one hurts especially considering both starters Hunter Wohler and Preston Zachman are expected to depart the program this offseason. Moore had a similar versatility to both players, displaying an ability to line up in the box, the slot and the back end in practice. He’ll be missed in Alex Grinch‘s room.
STING FACTOR: 9
Trech Kekahuna is Wisconsin’s toughest loss in the transfer portal thus far. The wide out was maddeningly underutilized this fall, especially considering when he was given opportunities (eight targets against Purdue), he delivered (six catches for 134 yards and two scores). All told, the slot receiver reeled in 25 catches for 339 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Kekahuna’s talent was extremely evident. He’s highly elusive in the open field, and quite possibly had the best hands on the team as well. With three seasons of eligibility remaining, he’ll make a proper passing offense very happy.
STING FACTOR: 3
Although Nate White didn’t log a snap, his loss registers as a low but not completely ignorable three because he had the potential to provide Wisconsin with some much needed depth at slot receiver.
After it became clear that White wasn’t going to make an impact at running back, especially with a three-tailback class in 2024 — all of whom appeared to pass White in the pecking order — the staff moved him over to the receiver room. As a former scat back standing at 5-foot-11, 182 pounds, White figured to be slot receiver who could potentially help fill the growing void in that department for the Badgers.
STING FACTOR: 1
This one doesn’t really move the needle. Mullens didn’t play during his time at Wisconsin, and the former walk-on was set to be buried even further on the depth chart with the Badgers bringing in back-to-back five offensive linemen classes in 2024 and 2025.
STING FACTOR: 7
James Thompson Jr. was regarded as Wisconsin’s best defensive lineman before a preseason injury knocked him out of essentially the entire 2024 campaign (save for seven snaps at Nebraska). During his career with the Badgers, he registered 58 total tackles, five sacks and two pass-breakups.
Thompson has one more season of eligibility due to his ability to medically redshirt in 2024, and the fact that he won’t spend it in Madison hurts the Badgers. This defensive line still needs to be rebuilt, but it hurts to lose your (theoretically) best player at a position of need when he could’ve returned for one more season to try to help anchor the trenches.
STING FACTOR: 4
Again, any loss along a thin defensive is a tough pill to swallow. Weber, the first member of Wisconsin’s 2024 class to jump ship, was a three-star recruit and the No. 32-ranked player in Tennessee. Still, he didn’t play a snap in his true freshman season, so it’s hard to know what he may or may not have brought to the table years down the line.
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MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The Wisconsin DNR is reminding ATV and UTV drivers that more conservation wardens and county recreation deputies will be out this weekend.
The increase comes after new laws and regulations were put in place earlier this week.
Wardens and safety patrols will be monitoring risky behaviors, including speeding and operating while intoxicated.
Wisconsin has already seen 15 ATV related deaths this year.
Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.
Copyright 2026 WMTV. All rights reserved.
Just east of the Capital City Trail crossing at the Yahara River, a nondescript warehouse rises on Madison’s west side. Its blank exterior offers no hint of what’s inside, and even the interior is not set up for glass cases and museum spotlights.
But its more than 180,000-square-feet of climate-controlled space contains the largest collection of North American history outside of the Library of Congress.
In all, the Wisconsin Historical Society holds 3.8 million print publications, 25,000 maps, 3 million images, 125,000 cubic feet of archival material and 750,000 historic and archaeological objects. Most are stored in the State Archive Preservation Facility, including the original Milwaukee Brewers Racing Sausages, one of the country’s first weather maps, traditional Ho‑Chunk baskets and comedian Chris Farley’s football jersey from Edgewood High School.
It’s a largely unknown, certainly underappreciated, Wisconsin treasure.
The archives are managed by the Wisconsin Department of Administration and operate in partnership with the Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Typically, history is presented in a carefully curated way – edited in a textbook, displayed behind a rope, maybe protected under glass. But the archives are an uncurated mix, and in many ways a more accurate reflection of the jumble that is human life than the single storyline we try to make it out to be.
Here, history feels human and unfinished. Every box, aisle and rack holds items that come to life when someone pulls them out and shares their story.
“Without the stories, the passion behind them, the experiences of individuals, it’s just a desk or a chair, but it’s the stories that are there,” said Nick Hoffman, chief creative officer with the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Preserving film history at 40°F
As the heavy doors to the “cold room” on the second floor swing open, chilled air spills out. The room’s temperature holds at 40 degrees Fahrenheit with 35% relative humidity – the ideal balance to protect film and videotape.
More than 44,000 film cans sit packed inside, and despite Madison’s distance from entertainment hubs like Los Angeles and New York, this is one of the world’s leading collections of film and television history.
More than 300 manuscript collections include materials from figures such as Michael and Kirk Douglas, Agnes Moorehead, Rod Serling and Edith Head. The shelves hold Mary Tyler Moore’s full archive, materials from early talk show host Faye Emerson, and footage of the McCarthy hearings later used in a documentary by Emile de Antonio.
The oldest film in the archives − “The Lumberjack,” a 16-minute silent film shot in Wausau − dates back to 1914.
Many donors have no ties to Wisconsin. What binds the archive isn’t geography so much as the pull to preserve a legacy.
“It’s often about an individual,” said Jill Sterrett, chief collections officer.
History written in ink on paper
One of the country’s oldest newspaper collections resides on the third floor, including a July 10, 1776, edition of The Pennsylvania Gazette, with one of the earliest printings of the Declaration of Independence, as well as Frederick Douglass’ 1850s newspaper, and the Cherokee Phoenix, the first newspaper published in a Native language.
The archives has the ability to bring people down to the individual level, then zoom out to show how an individual connects to a huge moment in U.S. history, Hoffman said. “That’s the scale that we have here,” he said.
In the early 1960s, for example, the Historical Society began collecting material from civil rights groups and activists, becoming a leading center for studying the American civil rights movement. Today, the archives hold hundreds of thousands of documents and recordings from the Highlander Research and Education Center in Tennessee. Highlander trained activists like Rosa Parks to organize and educate people, especially on voting rights.
That training partly shaped Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man, which sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, said senior archivist Lee Grady.
One of the earliest weather maps by Milwaukee scientist Increase Lapham is also in the collections. Lapham made the map in 1868, reconstructing a storm from a decade earlier to show how weather patterns could be tracked. The map served as a proof-of-concept, Grady said, which helped prompt Congress to establish the National Weather Service in 1870.
The archives also have an ongoing, little-known interaction with the public. Grady said the Historical Society fields about 16,000 questions a year, mostly by email, on topics like land records, divorce filings, even whether a house is haunted. Family history requests are the most common, he said.
Racing Sausages, Freedom Desks, tribal baskets share space
About 100,000 objects share space in a cavernous room on the fourth floor.
The original, 7-foot-tall Milwaukee Brewers Racing Sausages tower around the first corner. Made with foam and rubber cement, they are being restored by the Historical Society before they go on display in the new Wisconsin History Center, which is scheduled to open in 2028.
Directly above the Racing Sausages sit “Freedom Day” school desks from Milwaukee. During Milwaukee’s 1964 “Freedom Day” boycotts, thousands of students left segregated public schools to attend alternative Freedom Schools in local churches.
Also on display are materials from the March on Milwaukee – the 200 consecutive nights of marching to protest segregated housing, led by the NAACP Youth Council and advised by the Rev. James Groppi.
Wedged in the middle of a nearby clothing rack is a bowling shirt from Earlene Fuller, a legendary Milwaukee bowler who became known for designing custom shirts, many featuring kente cloth and other African-inspired patterns. She broke down racial barriers in the sport, and was the first Black woman to bowl a perfect 300 game.
There’s also Rosie the Riveter coveralls made in Beloit and Jane Kaczmarek’s “Lucky Aide” smock from Malcolm in the Middle.
“These are telling the stories of everyday efforts to win World War II, to the stories that make us laugh,” said Leo Landis, director of curatorial services.
More aisles open up at the push of a button. Each aisle is arranged by when its contents were donated, a densely packed uncurated cross-section of memorabilia.
One aisle holds West Allis–born speed skater Dan Jansen’s Levi’s velour Olympic warm-up jacket from 1984.
A couple of aisles down are Ho-Chunk baskets, some that date back to the 1800s, weaving together more than a century of tradition.
Ancient canoes sit alongside the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile
Downstairs, in one of the unassuming basement rooms, it’s hard to know where to look first.
The tightly packed space holds the original Oscar Mayer Wienermobile as well as a Culver’s sign from one of the first franchises, made from a repurposed Ford dealership sign.
There’s also a Packers helmet-shaped ice shanty built by Bill Casper of Sturgeon for Tomorrow, a nonprofit that promotes sturgeon conservation and celebrates Lake Winnebago’s ice-fishing culture.
But one of the most striking displays underscores how history is still being written.
Two dugout canoes raised from Lake Mendota sit soaking in a chemical bath. Discovered in 2018 and 2022, they have been dated to roughly 1,200 and 3,000 years old.
For the past year and a half, the canoes have been treated with polyethylene glycol, a resin that slowly fills the cells of the waterlogged wood. In about six months, Sterrett said, the canoes will be shipped to Texas A&M to be freeze-dried in a giant chamber, drawing out the water while letting the resin holding its shape.
Sterrett said the canoes, along with others found in Wisconsin lakes, are reshaping what people know about the region’s past climate and how people lived on and with the water.
Authority, access, audience engagement
The Historical Society is no longer just collecting items. It is rethinking ownership, renegotiating who defines history, and in some cases returning pieces and material.
That shift is visible in the “repatriation room,” where desks and shelves made from Menominee Forest wood help ground the consultations between the Historical Society and tribal nations on returning cultural items. Repatriation has expanded in recent decades, moving beyond compliance toward collaboration.
More broadly, archivists are rethinking access and engaging different audiences.
The state archives already operates an inter-archival loan system across University of Wisconsin schools. The Historical Society now is working to move records, such as family and land documents, closer to the communities they are tied to.
Anyone can access materials at the Wisconsin Historical Society headquarters on Library Mall on the UW-Madison campus. But the State Archive Preservation Facility is generally closed to the public, with tours offered just twice a year and some items coming out only for special events. When the Wisconsin History Center opens in early 2028, many items from the archives will be on rotating display.
As the leaders of this repository look to the future, they are convinced interest in history hasn’t waned. The key is letting people know what Wisconsin has, and making it available in a way that makes the most of it.
And as always, sharing all those great stories behind the archives.
As Sterrett said, “The risks of not sharing are far greater.”
New history center will increase access to archives
The new history center, slated to open in early 2028, will provide unprecedented access to the objects, entertainment and print products housed within the archives.
The Wisconsin Historical Society broke ground on its new $160.5 million center in 2025. The five-story, 100,000-square-foot building on Capitol Square in Madison will more than double the exhibition space of the previous history center.
When it opens, the center is expected to welcome 260,000 visitors each year. It will feature three core galleries, a rotating community gallery, rooftop terrace, café as well as educational spaces.
Caitlin Looby covers the Great Lakes and the environment for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact: clooby@gannett.com. Follow her on social media @caitlooby.
Caitlin is an Outrider Fellow whose reporting also receives support from the Brico Fund, Fund for Lake Michigan, Barbara K. Frank, and individual contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.
This fundraising effort is made possible through our partnership with Local Media Foundation, a verified 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (tax ID #36-4427750) and EnMotive Company, LLC, a subsidiary of USA TODAY Co., Inc. USA TODAY Co., Inc. is the parent company of this publication.
The JS Community-Funded Journalism Project is made possible through our partnership with Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36-4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association, and EnMotive, LLC, a subsidiary of USA TODAY Co., Inc. USA TODAY Co., Inc. is the parent company of this publication.
Manuel Franco claims his $768 million Powerball jackpot
Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis was revealed Tuesday as the winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot.
Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 2, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from June 2 drawing
15-26-43-48-60, Mega Ball: 12
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 2 drawing
Midday: 0-7-8
Evening: 8-5-8
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 2 drawing
Midday: 7-9-8-3
Evening: 4-4-7-5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning All or Nothing numbers from June 2 drawing
Midday: 01-02-03-05-06-10-11-13-16-21-22
Evening: 02-05-06-09-10-14-16-18-19-20-21
Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Badger 5 numbers from June 2 drawing
06-13-26-28-30
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning SuperCash numbers from June 2 drawing
10-14-15-18-34-38, Doubler: N
Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
- Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
- Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.
Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?
No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.
When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
- Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **
WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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