Wisconsin landed an impact defender from the transfer portal Tuesday with former USC linebacker Tackett Curtis announcing his commitment.

Coming out of high school, Curtis was a 4-star prospect from Louisiana and one of the top linebackers in the country per the 247 Sports Composite. He was an immediate contributor for Lincoln Riley and the Trojans, appearing in all 12 regular-season games before entering the portal.

Now, Curtis is on his way to Madison to play for Luke Fickell and the Badgers. The 6-foot-2 and 225-pound Curtis was rated the No. 2 LB in the portal and the 43rd player available per 247 Sports.

During his freshman season with the Trojans, Curtis finished with 40 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, a forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries. He set a career-high with 8 tackles in the road loss to Notre Dame but had a massive showing with 7 tackles, 2 TFL and 2 sacks in a road win over Arizona State.

With the Badgers, Curtis should be a plug-and-play defender for Fickell’s squad as Wisconsin looks to improve from a 7-6 overall record in 2023. Curtis will also make a return trip to face his former USC squad in LA on Sept. 28 next season.