Big Ten · Wisconsin · 2026 roster

Wisconsin Badgers football roster hometowns

Where are Wisconsin players from?

On the 2026 Wisconsin football roster, 26.3% of players with a known home state are from Wisconsin. The median listed hometown is 385 mi from campus (Homecoming Radius).

The 2026 snapshot was collected before the season. Sources and definitions

Players from Wisconsin with no earlier college roster elsewhere in the data filled 46% of roster spots in 2016 and 25% on the 2026 roster.

In 2016, 47 of 102 roster spots were filled by Wisconsin players not previously rostered elsewhere in the data. On the 2026 roster, 29 of 114 fit the same definition. The number of players previously rostered elsewhere changed from 2 to 33.

The median hometown distance moved from 214 mi in 2016 to 385 mi on the 2026 roster.

Before and during the portal era

2016–18 compared with 2021–25

2016–182021–2545.3%34.3%2.0%13.6%
  • In-state, not rostered elsewhere
  • Previously rostered elsewhere
Measure2016–182021–25
In-state, not rostered elsewhere45.3%34.3%
Previously rostered elsewhere2.0%13.6%

The 2026 roster

  • 530 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 100 located players.
  • 26.3%In-state26.3% of players with a known home state are from Wisconsin.
  • 19.0%Backyard19.0% of players with a located hometown grew up within 100 miles of campus.
  • 28.9%Previously rostered elsewhere28.9% of the roster appeared on another college roster in an earlier season.

Where Wisconsin ranks

Most In-State#7926.3%Most Transfers#4428.9%Closest to Home#86530 miFarthest From Home#53530 miBiggest In-State Shift#3026.3%Most Backyard Players#7219.0%Fewest Transfers#9528.9%Biggest Transfer Shift#3828.9%

Homecoming Radius over time

The median hometown-to-campus distance, by season. The dotted line is the FBS median.

0100200300400FBS median (250 mi)200920122016201920232026

Roster composition over time

Where the in-state lens draws the line: home-state players with and without an earlier college roster, out-of-state players with and without one, and players with unknown geography. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.

In-state, not rostered elsewhereOut-of-state, not rostered elsewhereOut-of-state, rostered elsewhere200920122016201920232026

Where do Wisconsin's players come from?

SeasonRosterIn-stateRostered elsewhereRadius
202611426.3%28.9%385 mi
202511630.4%20.7%284 mi
202411930.5%19.3%357 mi
202312236.1%16.4%300 mi
202212040.0%9.2%232 mi
202111340.7%2.7%222 mi
202014247.2%0.7%176 mi
201911644.0%0.9%231 mi
201810046.0%1.0%176 mi
201710343.7%2.9%176 mi
201610246.1%2.0%214 mi
201510948.6%0.0%150 mi
201411353.1%0.0%179 mi
201312352.0%0.8%123 mi
201211647.4%1.7%149 mi
201111948.7%0.8%184 mi
201011343.4%0.0%232 mi
200911342.5%0.9%167 mi

In-state shares use players with a known home state. Radius uses located hometowns.

Where the roster grew up

Located hometowns on the 2026 roster, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.

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Homecoming Radius: 385 mi

This slider is exploratory. Rankings use fixed distance lenses.

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