Wisconsin Football Hit With Bad News As Program Goes Up In Flames

Wisconsin’s football team took a significant hit Tuesday.

The Badgers finished the year 5-7, and it’s the worst season in decades for the program. The team’s prestigious 22-year bowl streak is over, head coach Luke Fickell’s seat is heating up and many fans are enraged by the state of the program.

Long gone are the days of consistently winning 10 games a year and always playing in an elite bowl game. Now, the Badgers can’t even make a bowl game, and it appears the bad news isn’t over.

Pair of Wisconsin receivers transfer.

Luke Fickell now has more holes to fill on offense after receivers Will Pauling and CJ Williams both announced Tuesday that they’re entering the transfer portal.

Pauling and Williams were looked at as solid parts of the offense in 2025. Now, Fickell is down two veteran WRs as he tries to rebuild the offense.

I guess both want a fresh start instead of giving newly hired offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes’ offense a shot.

Wisconsin Badgers  (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

Now, Fickell has also brought in some talent out of the transfer portal. Most notably is former Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards.

The former Terrapins passer immediately becomes the leader to be QB1 for the Badgers in 2025. However, losing two pieces from the wide receiver room is a bit of a tough blow.

Neither was a superstar, but Williams had a high ceiling and Pauling was a seasoned pass catcher. Replacing veterans after a 5-7 season isn’t a position any team wants to be in.

Wisconsin receivers CJ Williams and Will Pauling are both transferring. The Badgers had a horrible 5-7 season in 2024. (Photo by Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Fickell certainly has his work cut out for him next season, and for the sake of his job, he had better figure it out. Fans are sick and tired of losing. Let me know what you think at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.