After a lackluster past season, defensive end Darian Varner is leaving the Wisconsin Badgers football program. Per Matt Zenitz of 247Sports, the edge rusher will enter the transfer portal.
Wisconsin defensive end Darian Varner has entered the transfer portal, @chris_hummer and I have learned for @247sports.
The former Temple transfer was a first-team All-AAC selection at Temple in 2022.https://t.co/jA69P1kKfZ pic.twitter.com/5fq3YZuicq
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 20, 2023
Varner is trending towards joining his third football team in as many years. Varner joins former USC Trojans edge Korey Foreman, redshirt junior Tavion Woodard, and Navy pass rusher Jacko Busic, among others, as the latest defensive ends to enter the transfer portal.
Darian Varner: Middling Results in 2023 with the Wisconsin Badgers
A former three-star recruit in the class of 2020, Varner transferred to Wisconsin in December of 2022 after a monster year with the Temple Owls. The Norfolk, Virginia native tallied 12.5 TFLs and 7.5 sacks in his final year with the Owls, including 35 tackles and a forced fumble. He shined against Power Five competition, registering two TFLs and a sack in games against the Duke Blue Devils and Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Varner also recorded seven TFLs and three sacks in 2021.
However, the production did not translate to Wisconsin, with the six-foot-two, 258-pound edge rusher collecting just five tackles and no sacks this season. He appeared in 11 games this year but failed to record a counting statistic in eight contests. His best game of the season came against the Purdue Boilermakers in late September, collecting two tackles, 1.5 TFLs, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in a 38-17 Badgers win.
Wisconsin Football: Bowl Bound in Year One Under Luke Fickell
The Badgers finished the year 7-5, earning a spot in the ReliaQuest Bowl against the LSU Tigers. Wisconsin had big expectations in 2023, hiring former Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell and snagging star quarterback Tanner Mordecai via the transfer portal. However, injuries to Mordecai derailed his season, with the Badgers registering a bottom-40 offense this year. The gunslinger threw just six touchdowns this year while seeing action in nine games. The Badgers defense remained stout, allowing just 18.9 points per game, the 19th best mark in the NCAA. A win over LSU in their bowl game would leave the team with a better record than the year prior, their final with Paul Chryst at the helm.
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