Two days after the Wisconsin Badgers’ season-ending loss to Minnesota, redshirt-senior linebacker Leon Lowery Jr. announced on X that he would enter the transfer portal. He is the second Badger to enter the portal, joining quarterback Cole LaCrue.

Leon Lowery Jr. came to Wisconsin after playing four seasons at Syracuse. While with the Orange, Lowery Jr. racked up 75 tackles, including 46 as a starting linebacker in 2023. Fans may remember his complicated recruitment to Wisconsin, where he was signed and released within 24 hours. Later that month, Lowery re-committed to the Badgers. During this time there was speculation that zero money was a factor in recruitment.

Lowery Jr. was expected to contribute to the starting linebacker core this season. In 12 games at Wisconsin, Lowery Jr. collected 29 total tackles; 18 were solo tackles. He received his only quarterback sack of the season on September 14th in the significant loss to Alabama. Lowery Jr. failed to register stats for the Ax game last Friday.

According to Rohan Chakravarthi of SB Nation’s Bucky’s 5th Quarter, Lowery Jr. was fourth on the Wisconsin Badgers’ defense with 11 quarterback pressures. However, he was unable to repeat his 2023 season in Madison. Like most Badgers defensive players, Lowery Jr. failed to put consistent pressure on the quarterback every week.

While no other Wisconsin football players have announced their decision to enter the portal or return to the team, the transfer portal will not open until December 9th. As such, it’s almost expected that more Badgers will enter the portal to play for another program. Badger fans will also be wondering about the quarterback position in particular, as Tyler Van Dyke will consider returning to Madison for another season after his year ended with a torn ACL against Alabama.