Wisconsin transfer TE Tanner Koziol commits to Houston

Former Ball State tight end Tanner Koziol has committed to Houston out of the NCAA transfer portal, per On3’s Hayes Fawcett. Koziol committed to Wisconsin in December but decided to transfer on April 16. He is the No. 17 overall player in the On3 transfer portal rankings.

The Cougars are getting a tight end who led Ball State with 94 catches for 839 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024. He averaged nearly 70 receiving yards per game. Koziol also had an excellent season in 2023, catching 34 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns.

He was originally ranked as a three-star recruit in the class of 2021, per the On3 Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 2,099 overall recruit in his class and No. 264 wide receiver. The 6 foot 6, 230-pounder would transition to tight end where he’d find success at Ball State.

Based on the fact that he earned second-team All-MAC honors after breaking the program’s single-season and career receptions records by a tight end last season — it’s safe to say he’s surpassed those initial recruiting rankings in his three seasons playing for Ball State.

Now, he joins a Houston football team that’s coming off a 4-8 overall record, including a 3-6 record against Big 12 opponents. The Cougars lost its last three games of the season under first-year head coach Willie Fritz, who came to Houston after a successful tenure at Tulane.

The Cougars haven’t qualified for a bowl game since moving to the Big 12 Conference two seasons ago. Fielding consecutive 4-8 seasons, year two under Fritz will be looking to change that. With Koziol leading the tight end room, he only provides a boost to that effort.

Houston will kick off its 2025 season against SF Austin on Thursday, Aug. 28. They’ll start Big 12 action in Week 3 against Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes on Sept. 12.

The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking and original On3 Industry recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image and likeness).

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.