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After tossing his name into the transfer portal, former Wisconsin football defensive lineman Gio Paez has found a new home.

On Tuesday afternoon, Paez took to Twitter to announce his decision to join Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge for his final season.

Paez, a former three-star recruit out of North Carolina, joined the Badgers as a member of the 2019 recruiting class over scholarship offers from UCF, Nebraska, Texas A&M, NC State, Louisville, Kentucky, and others.

In total, he spent five seasons with the Wisconsin football program and appeared in 33 games, registering 36 tackles, 14 pressures, and 1.5 TFLs.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, Paez enjoyed his best season in a Badgers uniform under head coach Luke Fickell and Mike Tressel. In 2023, Paez appeared in 13 games, starting six for Wisconsin football.

According to Pro Football Focus, Paez finished with a 66.7 grade, considered above average by their metric, after totaling 23 tackles, 10 pressures, and 0.5 TFLs in 385 snaps. Paez strung together multi-tackle performances against Buffalo, Georgia Southern, Iowa, Illinois, and Northwestern — which helped him earn a shot to prove himself at LSU.

Wishing the former Wisconsin football defensive lineman all the best as he embarks on his next chapter.

This article first appeared on Badger Notes and was syndicated with permission.

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