Transfer Tracker: Veteran Wisconsin OL enters portal
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
The transfer portal never stops grinding. Wisconsin is known to always have a dominant offensive line, so when one hits the portal, you can be sure that there will be plenty of buzz. Grad transfer Kayden Lyles has heard plenty of it since officially entering the portal, with a multitude of FBS schools showing serious interest.
Recruiting: Lyles was an early commitment to Wisconsin, making his decision during his junior season. His father, Kevin Lyles, played for the Badgers during the 1990's so there was no drama with his son's process.
At Wisconsin: Lyles started his career at defensive end due to injuries at the position, where he started seven games in 2018. Since then he has played left guard and mostly center. He was the starting center in 2020 until a season-ending knee injury and was mainly the back-up this season, with one start against Michigan.
Potential landing spots: As expected, a veteran Wisconsin offensive lineman has had no problem getting an abundance of early interest. Some of the early schools to keep an eye on are Miami, Penn State, Illinois, Ole Miss, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Florida State, Clemson, Colorado, Indiana, North Carolina and NC State.
Farrell’s Take: Lyles was an absolute mauler out of high school as an offensive lineman so it was a surprise to see him on defense at first. But now as an interior lineman with some experience at guard and center, he is a hot commodity in the portal. As a Badgers legacy there was little doubt where he was going to go but now his recruitment will be very interesting. More teams will come calling soon and he will likely stay in the Big Ten if he gets the right offer but keep an eye on the Big 12 here as well.
Impact Meter: 7.2 out of 10
IMPACT METER
The Transfer Portal continues to change the way college football programs recruit and manage their rosters so we here at Rivals.com continue to evolve our coverage. Each time a player of note enters the portal, we will examine their potential impact on the college football landscape and assign an impact rating, both when they enter the portal and when they choose a destination. The scale is from 1-10 and the description below explains the scoring scale.
1.1-4.0 — Not a big impact expected, likely a non-starter and down the bench depth player.
4.1- 6.0 — A solid impact can be expected in the right scenario and has the potential to battle for a starting job.
6.1-9.0. — A high impact player who won’t change a program but will certainly be a very good contributor and starter.
9.1- 9.9 — A very high impact player who should start the moment he steps on the field and will change the outlook of a program immediately.
10 — A franchise transfer who has a chance to be an All American and one of the elite players in college football.