Wisconsin football: Quarterback D.J. Gillins will transfer, according to Instagram post

Former four-star recruit D.J. Gillins announced on Instagram his intention to transfer from and leave the Wisconsin Badgers football program on Thursday.

Gillins, who came to Wisconsin as a quarterback and early enrollee after being recruited by former head coach Gary Andersen, moved to wide receiver earlier this season and played in six games.

"It's been real UW, I had fun playing a little WR and special teams this year," Gillins said via his Instagram post.

"Now, I'm going back to what I do best. Unfortunately, that will not happen in Madison."

That statement implies Gillins wouldn't have been in much of a conversation at quarterback in 2016. Wisconsin has not formally commented on Gillins' status with the program as of Friday evening, though B5Q did reach out for clarification.

Gillins came in a highly-touted prep signal caller, as he was ranked the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback in the nation by 247 Sports, No. 9 by Rivals and No. 17 by ESPN.com. He was rated as a four-star prospect by all three services, and a three-star recruit by Scout.com

This will leave soon-to-be redshirt senior Bart Houston, redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook and true freshman and early enrollee Kare' Lyles as the quarterbacks on the roster heading into the 2016 spring practices. Thad Armstrong, who would be a redshirt senior next season, was honored during Senior Day festivities against Northwestern before the Nov. 21 game against Northwestern.

It's been real UW, I had fun playing a little WR and special teams this year. Now, I'm going back to what I do best. Unfortunately, that will not happen in Madison. I appreciate every opportunity I was given there. Created some lifelong friends and family. Thank y'all for everything

A photo posted by DJ Gillins (@sameol_dj) on Dec 31, 2015 at 2:40pm PST