Wisconsin Football Cornerback Jay Harper Enters the NCAA Transfer Portal

Okay, so here’s the deal with Jay Harper adding his name to the NCAA transfer portal. I spotted this over on 247Sports from Evan Flood. Timing-wise, he’s squeaking in just before the spring transfer deadline shuts on April 25th. Guess he’s looking for something new, like a shoe that doesn’t pinch, ya know? Not that I’ve ever transferred NCAA schools, but I imagine it’s like finding the right peanut butter — smooth sailing when it’s the right match.

Anyway, back to Harper – he joined Wisconsin Badgers as a kinda hyped-up three-star recruit from Alabama. You know, back in the class of 2024. Ranking-wise, they pegged him as the 715th dude overall. That always makes me wonder, like, were there only 714 better players? Who’s counting this stuff? And honestly, though he didn’t see the field at all last year. Kinda like buying concert tickets and your favorite band never shows. Bummer, eh?

Turns out he’s the sixth guy from the 2024 group to bounce. It’s like a chain reaction—cornerback Xavier Lucas (Miami), then edge rusher Anelu Lafaele hightailed it to Michigan State, and so on. Even a tight end, Rob Booker, decided to call it quits — medically retired. Sounds pretty intense, right? Like, do I take up knitting now, or what’s next?

Now the funny thing is, maybe he barely got to really play, but still, Harper’s the sixth player, just this spring, who’s decided to hit the road. Probably all caught up in wanderlust or trying to dodge Wisconsin’s chilly winters. Either way, he’s got four years to figure this out somewhere else. Maybe the sun, maybe the turf is softer elsewhere?

I can imagine his prospects were limited at Wisconsin — there’s a bustling cornerback scene with starters like Ricardo Hallman and Nyzier Fourqurean. Plus, they’ve brought in these transfer guys, like Latimer and Hill, so the room’s full of tough nuts. I guess Harper, along with redshirt freshman Omillio Agard and newbie Jai’mier Scott, were mostly the guys holding the water bottles, metaphorically speaking.

Honestly, Wisconsin seems like it’s dealing with a revolving door in the secondary. Like a spontaneous game of musical chairs, where Harper, Lucas, and even this bunch of safeties — Braedyn Moore, Justin Taylor, Kamo’i Latu — decided to find seats elsewhere. It’s messy, but at least they snagged a few newcomers like Latimer, Hill, Jung, and Traynor to patch things up.

Going forward, the secondary is a big ‘ole question mark. They’ve got strong players on paper, sure. But they’re facing wicked quarterbacks in the Big Ten in 2025 — you know, like the likes of Luke Altmyer, Fernando Mendoza, and even Ohio State’s Julian Sayin. It’s like facing a storm; you’ve got to brace yourself.

So, if you’re a Badgers fan or just nosey, there’s this spring tracker thing they have. You know, it helps you keep tabs on everything that’s happening because, frankly, I can’t keep all this inside my brain. Scout friendships over on X (yeah, the old Twitter) at @TheBadgersWire or just click around on Facebook. They’ve got the scoop on… well, everything Wisconsin Badgers.