The Badgers got the experienced safety they needed on Wednesday evening.
The Wisconsin Badgers continue to make splashes in the secondary, and finally added experience at safety, landing a commitment from Missouri Tigers transfer Marvin Burks Jr. on Wednesday evening.
Burks, a junior in 2025, has seen action in 36 games over three seasons at Missouri, starting in 26, as he’s been a dependable and reliable player for the Tigers in the secondary. His departure was a bit of a surprise, as he was Missouri’s first returning senior to enter the transfer portal.
This past season, Burks had 49 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, an interception, and a pass breakup. In 2024, Burks had 66 tackles and an interception for Mizzou.
Wisconsin was in dire need of an experienced safety, having lost its top two players from 2025 (Austin Brown and Preston Zachman). When Zachman went down last year, his backup, Matt Jung, struggled as a starter. Jung profiled as Wisconsin’s top safety in 2026, so it was important to add more experience in a relatively young room.
The Badgers may not be done at safety, even after adding Burks and Iowa State transfer Carson Van Dinter, as they could use another experienced option. But, if they don’t add more to the room, here’s Wisconsin’s projected safety room and their eligibility year in 2026:
Marvin Burks Jr. (senior)
Matt Jung (senior)
Matthew Traynor (redshirt junior)
Grant Dean (sophomore)
Carson Van Dinter (redshirt sophomore)
Raphael Dunn (redshirt sophomore)
Luke Emmerich (redshirt freshman)
Kah’ni Watts (freshman)
Category: General Sports
