MADISON, Wis. — When new Wisconsin defensive coordinator Mike Tressel was asked Thursday morning which position group on his roster needed to be addressed the most through potential transfer portal additions, he made it clear that one spot more than any other was absolutely critical.
“I think defensive line is one that we’re definitely going after, we’re targeting,” Tressel said. “We need to make sure that we continue to build the depth. And it might not be something that’s critical for this fall, but moving forward it will be. If you were to say one spot, that’d be the one I’d jump at. We are targeting some guys without a doubt.”
Advertisement
As Tressel spoke, one of Wisconsin’s top defensive line targets already was in the midst of making his final decision. Minutes earlier, Temple transfer Darian Varner and his mother had popped their heads into the McClain Center during a tour of the facilities. By late afternoon, he publicly committed to Wisconsin.
Let’s do it @BadgerFootball @CoachFick @PatLambert13 pic.twitter.com/Yyuve0188a
— Darian Varner (@DarianVarner) January 5, 2023
The move represents yet another major transfer portal addition for Wisconsin under head coach Luke Fickell as he and his staff remake the roster with key upgrades. Varner, one of five captains at Temple last season, earned first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors when he recorded 35 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. He ranked tied for 17th nationally in sacks per game and tied for 20th in tackles for loss per game. Varner’s accomplishments came despite missing Temple’s final two games with a foot injury.
One of the games Varner missed came against Fickell’s Cincinnati team. But Varner said the fact he played in the same conference as Fickell for three seasons had a role in the respect he generated from Fickell and his staff during the recruiting process. Varner said he talked to Tressel, tight ends coach Gino Guidugli and Fickell, all coaches who were at Cincinnati last season.
“Coach Fickell was the main guy,” Varner told The Athletic. “Coach Fick talked to me every day. We didn’t let a day go past without having a conversation. I’ve always had the utmost respect for him being in the same conference and knowing people that played for him. It’s nothing but respect. Meeting him in person, there’s a reason why people respect him.”
Varner announced that he was entering the transfer portal on Dec. 7. He earned offers that day from Old Dominion, Tulane, Appalachian State, East Carolina, James Madison and Colorado. Other schools to extend offers included Indiana, Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt. What makes his addition at Wisconsin unusual is that Varner, a native of Norfolk, Va., was announced as a transfer portal addition by Virginia Tech when the early signing period began Dec. 21.
Advertisement
However, unlike a high school recruit, who signs a national letter of intent, players in the transfer portal are free to change their minds until they are on campus and attending classes. Transfer commitments are not binding despite signing any type of financial aid agreement. Varner said he kept his options open and continued to talk to schools, particularly Wisconsin, Auburn and Ole Miss. He even planned on visiting Ole Miss until he committed to Wisconsin. Varner said he informed Virginia Tech’s coaches of his decision while he was at the airport Thursday.
“They were heated,” Varner said. “I’m not going to lie. They were definitely heated.”
Varner has three years of eligibility remaining to play two full seasons, which includes the additional year of eligibility the NCAA granted players in 2020 during the pandemic. Varner is 6 feet 2, 265 pounds, substantially lighter than what Wisconsin defensive ends have typically been. The starting defensive ends this past season were Isaiah Mullens, who is listed at 6-4, 303 pounds, and Rodas Johnson, who is 6-2, 293. The top reserve, James Thompson Jr., is 6-5, 295.
All three players will return next season, but the Badgers had little experience outside of that group. Cade McDonald played 127 snaps, while Isaac Townsend and Mike Jarvis both missed the season with left leg injuries. Mullens will be a sixth-year senior, which means Wisconsin needed depth for the future. Varner said he is coming in as a defensive end but could fill different roles and viewed Wisconsin as a great opportunity to essentially do what he did at Temple on a bigger stage.
“I bring a lot to the table, especially being versatile, being able to play inside and outside,” Varner said. “I think that’s a big deal. It’s like getting two guys in one person.”
Varner said he weighed 290 pounds during his sophomore season at Temple but slimmed down so he could be quicker and more athletic, which paid off with an all-conference season. During one game against Tulsa, he recorded 3.5 sacks, nearly breaking the school record of four set 20 years earlier. He noted Wisconsin’s staff was comfortable with his current playing weight.
Advertisement
“They told me there’s no need for me to get up there and they’re going to give me a number and say, ‘Hey you need to reach this,’” Varner said. “It’s like, ‘Dude, you’re a vet. You’ve been playing good at your weight right now.’ Other schools have told me that they want me at 290. I said, ‘Oh man, I don’t know. I just came from 290.’”
Wisconsin has not announced a defensive line coach yet. New York Jets assistant defensive line coach Greg Scruggs, who worked on Fickell’s staff as the D-line coach at Cincinnati from 2020-21, could be a candidate to fill the role.
Since Fickell took over, Wisconsin has added four transfer portal players, all at positions that needed more depth and talent: quarterbacks Nick Evers (Oklahoma) and Tanner Mordecai (SMU), defensive back Jason Maitre (Boston College) and Varner. The Badgers aren’t done on the transfer portal front, particularly at wide receiver. USC transfer CJ Williams, a former four-star and top-10 receiver in the 2022 class, tweeted that he would be visiting Madison on Friday. Wisconsin also is in the hunt for former Cincinnati receiver Quincy Burroughs. Both players entered the portal Thursday.
“We are not going to become a transfer portal team,” Tressel said, reiterating what Fickell has stated since he was hired at Wisconsin. “That’s to me such a gamble. You’re going to have good years. You’re going to have bad years. You’re going to have years where the culture is fantastic. You’re going to have years where it’s a battle. And we’re going to have fantastic culture here. So we’ll be very selective of the guys we take through the portal.”
Varner arrived in Madison on Wednesday and left Thursday, returning to Philadelphia as he closed out his chapter at Temple. He said he expected to be back in Madison on Tuesday to move into off-campus housing. Tressel said the team would return Jan. 17 and begin offseason conditioning the following week. Classes begin for the spring semester at Wisconsin on Jan. 24. Varner is eager to show what he can do with the Badgers.
“They have a good thing on and off the field,” Varner said. “They’re a real well-respected defense. I definitely did my research. I’m very familiar with them.
“The culture is strong. There’s not going to be a culture change with the new coaching staff, and I got that feeling. They’re going to be in great hands. Fick is a great guy. His staff, they’re legit.”
(Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57k2ltbW1naHxzfJFsZmlpX2WDcLDAq6Capl2rrrO6xKtksKGjmLyvv8inZK2qkaPAp7HRZquepaChsm60zqSgnqtf