Eugene Hilton Jr. Withdraws from Portal, Returns to Wisconsin Football

Wisconsin retains a key piece of its offensive future as Hilton reverses course to rejoin the Badgers.

Jan 08, 2026

Wisconsin WR Eugene Hilton takes part in drills during fall camp at Camp Randall Stadium. | Photo by Christian Borman

Nothing should ever be assumed in today’s landscape of college football. If a player commits to a program, you can’t assume they will join that program until they sign on the dotted line, and even then, it’s not a guarantee. We all saw how that played out with Xavier Lucas and the Wisconsin football program last offseason.

The same can be said for players who enter the transfer portal. Just because they enter the portal in search of a new home doesn’t necessarily mean they are gone. In some cases, you see a player return from the portal to their original team. Last year, Wisconsin wide receiver Trech Kekahuna entered the portal only to return after the newly-hired offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes convinced him to come back.

It appears a similar situation will play out again this year. After announcing his entrance to the portal on December 22nd, wide receiver Eugene Hilton Jr. will be returning to the Wisconsin football program. Hilton announced his return via Instagram.

Hilton joined the Badgers as a part of the 2025 class and raised some eyebrows during fall camp. Wisconsin OC Jeff Grimes singled out the freshman receiver during a post-practice interview.

“The other thing on top of that, where he’s grown, is in his blocking. In the spring, like a lot of freshman receivers, he didn’t really know that was a thing, that that was part of the job responsibility,” the Wisconsin offensive coordinator joked. “But he’s grown a lot in terms of his toughness, and right now, he will definitely play. He’ll be in the rotation.”

With expectations rising, you could say Hilton’s stat line was a bit of a disappointment. He played in all 12 games for the Badgers, but caught just 8 passes for 91 yards and no touchdowns. Almost half of those yards came on one play against Oregon when he caught a 42-yard pass, which came within one yard of a touchdown.

The lack of production can largely be attributed to the constant change at quarterback. The Badgers suffered multiple injuries at the position, forcing them further down the bench as the season went on. The Badgers’ passing attack was the worst in the conference.

But with multiple players moving on or hitting the portal, Hilton looked poised to take over the WR1 role for the Badgers in 2026. Instead, Hilton decided to hit the portal and explore his options. While in the portal, Hilton was linked to LSU and Florida.

Wisconsin brought in multiple receivers from the portal, including Oklahoma State-transfer Shamar Rigby and Southeast Louisiana-transfer Jaylon Domingeux, but with the departures of Vinny Anthony, Jayden Ballard, Trech Kekahuna, and Joseph Griffin Jr., there were still plenty of spots to replace, and even a spot for a WR1 within the group.

There is a big opportunity for Hilton if he returns to the Badgers, and it appears he is jumping at it. Getting Hilton back is a big plus for the Badgers. He can come into the room as arguably the top receiver in the offense, while the Badgers get a player who already knows the offense and still has three years of eligibility left.

A win-win.

With Hilton coming back into the fold, the Badgers’ transfer portal departures now stand at just 20 players. The program has since added 20 players and can continue to add more until January 16th, when the portal officially closes.

Stick with Badger Backer to keep up with everything portal-related to the Wisconsin football team!