Wisconsin sophomore wide receiver Mark Hamper will enter the transfer portal when the spring window opens, he announced on Tuesday.
The former Football Championship Subdivision Freshman All-American joined the Badgers during the winter transfer window after a breakout redshirt freshman season at Idaho. That standout campaign included 48 receptions, 966 receiving yards and six touchdowns, primarily operating as the No. 2 wide receiver on an Idaho team that went 10-4 and eventually fell to Montana in the FCS quarterfinals. Notably, he notched three receptions for 57 yards in the team’s Week 1 loss to Oregon.
Hamper was one of Wisconsin’s premier transfer additions during the winter period. He and former Ohio State WR Jayden Ballard were brought in to elevate the team’s passing game in year one under new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes. However, with Vinny Anthony and Trech Kekahuna each returning to starting roles, the two transfers were likely directly competing for starting snaps.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound receiver is the second notable player to reportedly plan to depart once the spring transfer window opens on Wednesday, joining another top winter transfer addition in tight end Tanner Koziol. Both players projected near the top of Wisconsin’s receiving stat sheet at the time of their commitments. Now, less than four months later, each appears set to play elsewhere.
Wisconsin will likely utilize the spring transfer window to address its suddenly glaring need at left tackle, with projected starter Kevin Heywood likely out for the season with a torn ACL. In a span of a few days, the Badgers appear to have lost three projected offensive starters, or at least two in Heywood and Koziol, then also a primary depth contributor in Hamper.
The team’s positional depth at wide receiver will be tested with Hamper’s departure. As of April 15, the Badgers have much larger needs at left tackle and tight end, if Koziol does indeed depart.
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State WR Jayden Ballard were brought in to elevate the team’s passing game in year one under new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes. However, with Vinny Anthony and Trech Kekahuna each returning to starting roles, the two transfers were likely directly competing for starting snaps.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound receiver is the second notable player to reportedly plan to depart once the spring transfer window opens on Wednesday, joining another top winter transfer addition in tight end Tanner Koziol. Both players projected near the top of Wisconsin’s receiving stat sheet at the time of their commitments. Now, less than four months later, each appears set to play elsewhereinion
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