Former Wisconsin high school star and the Badgers’ top class of 2022 tight end target Jerry Cross will enter the transfer portal, per Rivals’ Adam Friedman.
Cross attended Rufus King High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, before committing to Penn State in July 2020. He chose the Nittany Lions over the Badgers, who at that time were fresh off a stellar run from 2015-19 under head coach Paul Chryst.
As a prospect, Cross was considered the No. 15 tight end and No. 5 recruit in Wisconsin for the class of 2022, per 247Sports. In three years at Rufus King, Cross logged 49 catches for 1,300 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns as a pass-catcher. He was considered a consensus four-star recruit by every major recruiting outlet.
His tenure at Penn State did not reflect his high school career. Cross redshirted his freshman season and tallied just seven total games from 2023-24. He did not record an offensive statistic in those appearances.
Penn State tight end Jerry Cross will enter the transfer portal, according to his agent @noah_reisenfeld
Cross was a 4-star prospect in the 2022 classhttps://t.co/NRrMX4Zgzd@rivals @rivalsportal @PennStateRivals
— Adam Friedman (@RivalsFriedman) December 2, 2024
Outside of Wisconsin, Cross’ high school offer sheet included Iowa State, Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue, Arizona State, Iowa and Northern Illinois.
UW’s current tight end room is headlined by sophomore Tucker Ashcraft. With redshirt senior Riley Nowakowski slated to say goodbye to Luke Fickell’s program, the Badgers are in need of some depth at the position.
Given his hometown ties to Milwaukee and former top recruiting billing, Cross could fill that void.