Wisconsin transfer cornerback commits to South Florida

Wisconsin transfer cornerback commits to South Florida

Wisconsin transfer cornerback Jonas Duclona committed to South Florida on Tuesday.

He is one of 20 Wisconsin scholarship players to enter the portal — 19 without counting Trech Kekahuna, who quickly returned to the program. Duclona is one of several Badger transfers to find new homes, joining Leon Lowery (Illinois) and Amare Snowden (Toledo).

Related: Wisconsin football 2024 transfer portal departure tracker

The redshirt freshman cornerback joined the Badgers as a three-star recruit in the class of 2023. He was one of Luke Fickell’s first high school commitments after landing the job in November 2022.

Duclona played 15 total games over his two seasons with the program, totaling just five tackles. 12 of those 15 appearances came as a true freshman in 2023. He and others in the room saw their roles diminish in 2024 with the emergence of top freshman CB Xavier Lucas.

The cornerback’s departure reflects a larger trend — 11 of Wisconsin’s 15 class of 2023 signees have transferred, including a large collection of players in the secondary. That movement has erased much of the program’s depth at the position.

Duclona joins a South Florida program that went 6-6 during the 2024 regular season. It is set for a Hawaii bowl matchup with San Jose State. The program’s best recent stretch came 2016 (11-2) and 2017 (10-2) under coaches Willie Taggart and Charlie Strong, respectively. Now, it is far from the top contender in a struggling American Athletic Conference.

Expect Wisconsin to target the cornerback position as the transfer cycle continues. The program has done well in addressing major needs including quarterback and defensive line. Cornerback, linebacker and wide receiver will likely be the next positions to be addressed.

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