Former Wisconsin defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. picked up a collection of major offers after entering the transfer portal on Monday.
Thompson Jr. had expressed his intent to enter the portal on Dec. 4. This activity follows the portal opening on Dec. 9. He is one of 14 Badger scholarship players to enter and one of 16 overall from the program.
Related: Wisconsin football 2024 transfer portal tracker
His early wave of offers came from Illinois, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Texas Tech, Cal, Stanford and Auburn. The heightened interest isn’t a surprise given Thompson Jr.’s experience and the premium put on depth and experience at the position.
The veteran lineman played five seasons with the Badgers. He was a standout in both 2022 and 2023, playing in all 26 games over that time and recording 52 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, two pass deflections and a fumble recovery.
Thompson Jr. missed most of the 2024 season with a torn pectoral muscle suffered during the preseason. He returned for the Badgers’ Week 13 loss to Nebraska, though he only played seven snaps. He didn’t play in the finale against Minnesota.
His and starting defensive lineman Curt Neal’s transfer departures create a glaring area of need for the Badgers this offseason. The program is losing most of its key contributors at the position on a defensive line that struggled against some of the top teams on the schedule.
Thompson Jr. appears set to find a strong destination for his final season of eligibility, following in the footsteps of former Badger linemen Rodas Johnson and Gio Paez. It will be worth monitoring where he ends up, and what Wisconsin is able to do at the position entering 2025.
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