Wisconsin Football: Senior Defensive Lineman Enters the Transfer Portal

The grad transfer will have one season of eligibility remaining at his next stop. 

Wisconsin Football Sees Another Defensive Lineman Hit the Portal

Paez, who joined the Badgers as part of the 2019 recruiting class, appeared in 33 games in five seasons. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound defensive lineman is coming off his best statistical season, logging 23 tackles. His career marks with Wisconsin will finish at 35 tackles and 1.5 TFLs.

Coming out of high school, Paez was a three-star prospect, ranked as the No. 902 player in the nation, the No. 66 DT, and the No. 40 player in North Carolina. Wisconsin was able to beat out offers from Texas A&M, Nebraska, Kentucky, NC State, Louisville, UCF, Toledo, and many others for Paez’s services. 

Paez was set to be one of the returning veterans in the defensive line room in an already thin group under new coach E.J. Whitlow. UW added some reinforcements via the transfer portal by adding Albany transfer Elijah Hills, but the Badgers have few players returning with real game experience. 

Paez is now the fourth Badgers defensive lineman to enter the transfer portal, joining Darian Varner, Rodas Johnson, and Tommy Brunner.

With Paez’s departure, Wisconsin will now look to James Thompson Jr., Ben Barten, Cade McDonald, Jamel Howard, and incoming freshmen, including Dillan Johnson and Ernest Willor Jr, to get the room back on track after a down year where the defensive line produced just 59 pressures and 4.5 sacks last season.