Wisconsin freshman DL Tristan Monday enters the transfer portal

One of Wisconsin's young defensive linemen from the 2022 recruiting class has decided to transfer.

Just minutes after former Wisconsin safety Titus Toler announced his decision to leave the football program and pursue the transfer portal, the Badgers lost another defensive player. 

On Monday morning, freshman defensive lineman Tristan Monday took to Instagram to declare his intentions to transfer, saying:

"First, I would like to thank all of the players, coaches, and staff for the opportunity to compete and grow both academically and athletically at the University of Wisconsin. I will always be grateful for the friendships I made in my short time here. With that being said, after conversations with my family and the people closest to me in my life, I have decided to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. I will have four years of remaining eligibility."

Originally from the state of Arizona and previously committed to the University of Arizona out of high school, the expectation is that Monday will move back closer to family in Scottsdale. 

The 6-foot-4 defensive end earned the praise of assistant coach Ross Kolodziej in fall camp for his work with the reserves but did not see action in a game during the regular season. 

A former three-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting class, Monday is now the seventh player to hit the market for Wisconsin this season and the first transfer from his class. At the prep level, Monday flipped his commitment from Arizona in November of 2021 and ultimately signed with the Badgers over scholarship offers from Baylor, Colorado, Florida State, and Iowa State at the Power-5 level. 

With several returning players ahead of him on the depth chart, Monday was someone that the staff was high on, but he will now look to find playing time elsewhere. The Badgers are currently without a defensive line commit in the 2023 recruiting class after both Jamel Howard and Trey Pierce de-committed from UW within the past few weeks, though Luke Fickell is actively working to regain each of their commitments this weekend for Wisconsin. With the loss of Monday, defensive line recruiting became even more important for Fickell, and a compelling storyline to watch in the coming weeks. 

Best of luck to Tristan as he seeks a new home to play for the next four years. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tristan Monday (@9t_monday9)

Related links:

• Updates on Luke Fickell's coaching staff coming together
• Senior safety John Torchio named a Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree
• 10 potential targets for Luke Fickell in the 2023 recruiting class at Wisconsin

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