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Wisconsin football: Three upperclassmen enter the transfer portal

Redshirt junior cornerback Semar Melvin, and fifth-year seniors Isaac Guerendo and Jaylan Franklin have entered the transfer portal.

Matt Belz

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The transfer portal has revolutionized recruiting in college football. With the transfer window officially open as of December 5, a record number of players across the country have entered their names in hopes of finding a new place to play in 2023.

With the Wisconsin Badgers in the midst of a big coaching change after the hiring of Luke Fickell, several players from the program have opted to seek a transfer elsewhere. 

On Tuesday, three more players made the decision to look elsewhere, with junior cornerback Semar Melvin, senior running back Isaac Guerendo, and senior tight end Jaylan Franklin entering their names into the portal. 

A multi-year contributor, Melvin started two games as a freshman in 2019 but has been limited by injuries the past few seasons in Madison. This past season, Melvin played in eight games for the Badgers, recording six tackles and two pass breakups. 

Overall, he concludes his career with Wisconsin having played in a total of 24 contests and tallying 16 tackles with three pass breakups on defense. 

Originally from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida, Melvin signed with the Badgers out of high school as a consensus three-star prospect with offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville, Mississippi State, NC State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Purdue, Syracuse, UCF, Virginia, and Virginia Tech.

Melvin shared this message on social media:

"First and foremost, I want to thank God for allowing me to live and play this game I love. I want to thank my family and friends for their constant love and support. I would also like to thank all of my teammates, Coach Leonhard and Coach Chryst, for being a family away from mine back home. Lastly, a huge thank you to the academic, medical, and training staff for making sure I'm well both on and off the field, and in the classroom. The love I have for Madison will always be in me and I'll forever be grateful for the time that I got to spend here and the people I met along the way. After further discussion with my family, I have decided that I will be entering my name in the transfer portal with two years of eligibility left."

Joining Melvin in the portal is fifth-year senior Isaac Guerendo, who was recognized on Senior Day against Minnesota. 

A speedster out of Indiana, Guerendo bounced between positions during his career with the Badgers and battled several injuries, but put together the best season in 2022. Last week, Guerendo earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors for his work as a kickoff returner, and he made several big plays this season for Wisconsin. 

Arguably the fastest player on the roster for the Badgers, Guerendo ran for 385 yards and five touchdowns on offense this season including a highlight-reel 89-yard run against Maryland. Guerendo also added 115 receiving yards and a touchdown as a receiving threat. On special teams, Guerendo averaged 23.9 yards per kickoff return this past season with a long of 50 yards.

Despite overcoming injuries throughout his career in Madison, Guerendo will be remembered for his speed and multiple long touchdown runs. The 6-foot-2 tailback will have one year of eligibility remaining at the college level, and he finishes his career with just over 700 total yards of offense and seven touchdowns. 

A former three-star recruit out of Indiana, Guerendo could look to play closer to him next season. He originally committed to the Badgers as a wide receiver with a slew of offers at the Group of 5 level. 

Guerendo had this to say about his decision to transfer:

"I want to thank my coaches, teammates, the strength staff, academic staff, and training staff for my last five years at Wisconsin. I have met lifelong friends along the way and made bonds that will last forever. After a lot of consideration with my family, I have decided that it would be best for me to enter the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining."

The third player to enter the portal on Tuesday is fifth-year senior Jaylan Franklin. 

After beginning his career as an outside linebacker, Franklin shifted to play tight end two years ago, and he has primarily been used on special teams during his career with the Badgers. 

Franklin played in 11 games this season for Wisconsin and recorded two receptions for 40 yards. In total, Franklin finishes his time in Madison having played in 40 games with no starts.

A twitchy and athletic player, Frankling was never able to truly find a position at Wisconsin, but at 6-foot-4 he has the size and athleticism to be an asset elsewhere potentially. He hits the portal as a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining. 

Originally from Michigan, Franklin joined Isaac Guerendo in the 2018 recruiting class as a three-star athlete and chose the Badgers over offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, and Washington State. 

The Badgers have now had seven players decide to transfer out of the program in the past three days. 

Best of luck to all three players going forward!

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.

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