Spring practice has wrapped up across the country, and college football has officially entered its quiet period of summer doldrums.

However, the mass influx of new intel on transfers gleaned from spring ball means top recruiting sites 247Sports and On3/Rivals have updated their national transfer portal rankings, and the Badgers’ class has gained more respect from both services since the initial transfer boom in the winter.

Wisconsin’s 2026 transfer haul currently checks in at No. 15 in the country on On3/Rivals, up slightly from its perch at No. 18 this winter. That’s good enough for third in the Big Ten behind UCLA (No. 11) and Indiana (No. 1).

247Sports sees the Badgers’ class a little differently; they’ve awarded Wisconsin with the No. 38-ranked class in the nation. That checks in at ninth in the Big Ten. Still, the outlet has bumped its individual ratings for several of the Badgers’ incoming transfers.

After initially not having signed a four-star transfer portal prospect in the eyes of 247Sports, the site has bumped quarterback Colton Joseph, running back Abu Sama and safety Marvin Burks Jr. to four-star transfer prospects, giving the Badgers three blue-chip portal players. Center Austin Kawecki was also bumped to a high three-star portal prospect.

On3, meanwhile, sees Wisconsin with just one four-star portal prospect in the Iowa State transfer tailback Sama.

It’s interesting to note that On3’s transfer portal grading system evaluates all of Wisconsin’s portal movement, additions and departures combined. 247Sports’ system is less additive and only evaluates teams based on how it ranks their newcomers.

Why it matters

In this day and age, programs have no choice but to deftly navigate the transfer portal if they want any shot at success. That doesn’t always mean you need to add over 30 signees, like Wisconsin did, but it’s a good sign that the Badgers are gaining recognition for one of the most important aspects of roster building.

Wisconsin is going to be a team largely fueled by mercenaries this season. I’d expect the vast majority of the Badgers’ production, especially on offense where new faces at quarterback, running back, tight end and receiver figure to dominate reps.

The Badgers still have a solid core of home-grown players, namely their two studs at inside linebacker and a handful of key cogs along the offensive line. After all, they rank 35th nationally in returning production; the cupboard isn’t entirely bare.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow

On May 14, we debuted the third in a series of reader polls asking who you consider the best high school girls basketball players in Wisconsin history, with 10 primary suggestions. We received nearly 1,800 votes, and here’s how people voted:

Sonja Henning voted as most impactful player in Wisconsin high school girls basketball history

Former Racine Horlick standout Sonja Henning was the reader’s choice for the best girls basketball player in state history after receiving 608 votes.

The lightning-quick Henning, a Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee in 2010, scored 2,236 points as a four-year starter at Horlick. When her high school career ended in 1987, she was the leading girls scorer in state history.

Henning was a two-time first-team all-state pick and the state’s Ms. Basketball winner in 1987, when she also made the Parade All-America team.

She continued her basketball career at Stanford, helping the Cardinal to the 1990 national championship and earning All-America honors as a senior. 

After leaving Stanford, she played in several professional leagues before joining the WNBA and helping the Houston Comets win the league title in 1999. She spent most of the next three seasons with the Seattle Storm before ending her WNBA career in 2003 with the Indiana Fever.

While Henning was the top choice, she wasn’t the only popular one.

Here’s how you voted.

Our top 10:

1. Sonja Henning, Racine Horlick: 608

2. Heidi Bunek, Milwaukee Pius XI: 390

3. Anna DeForge, Niagara: 337

4. Arike Ogunbowale, Divine Savior Holy Angels: 143

5. Mistie Bass, Janesville Parker: 56

BEST BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYER: How you voted for the most-impactful Wisconsin high school boys basketball player

6. Jolene Anderson, South Shore: 52

7. Megan Gustafson, South Shore: 47

8. Janel McCarville, Stevens Point: 38

9. Angie Halbleib, Middleton: 15

10. Nicole Griffin, Milwaukee Vincent: 5

Here are the other names suggested as the most impactful in Wisconsin history

With the option to select someone other than our group of 10, we received 57 submissions, including many who received more than one vote.