10 returning Badgers who could have the most impact on the 2026 Wisconsin football defense
Continuing fall camp previews with which non-transfers have opportunities to heavily contribute to the Badgers' defense.
A dynamic duo have the opportunity to become pillars of the University of Wisconsin football team.
Sophomores Cooper Catalano and Mason Posa return for their sophomore seasons after combining for 117 tackles, 8½ tackles for loss and six sacks in 2025. Posa led the team in tackles (61), with Catalano right behind him (56), and most of those came during the final five games of the season.
Both made their first career starts at Oregon in late October, where they finished with a combined 21 tackles. Their breakout performance came two weeks later in the Nov. 8 home win against a ranked Washington program, which snapped a six-game losing streak. Catalano earned Big Ten defensive player of the week honors after recording a career-high 19 tackles, while Posa claimed the conference’s freshman of the week accolades after accumulating 11 tackles and 2½ sacks.
It’s no surprise the two worked as first-team linebackers during Wisconsin’s 15 spring practices from late March to late April.
“They are two young players with some extreme upside, and I think they both have their unique ways of doing things,” inside linebackers coach Tuf Borland said April 15. “Cooper’s more of that traditional backer with some high mental capabilities. A guy that you load up and do some of them things and operate the defense.
“And Posa’s a guy with some extreme natural feel and talent, and both can have their impacts in their own rights. But just continuing to strive and get better. I think a lot of it last year, what we saw, was them playing off of feel and instincts, right? So it’s really cool to see what they’re doing from just how far they’ve come from just understanding football and formational tendencies and what offenses are kind of giving you a pre-snap. So they’ve done a good job at this point in the spring.”
Badger Observer continues its fall camp previews with a look at eight other defensive players who stayed with Wisconsin after the 4-8 season in 2025 and now have an opportunity to reshape the program’s trajectory.
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Which returning Badgers could have the most impact on the 2026 Wisconsin football offense
The University of Wisconsin football program overhauled its roster during the winter, but key returners will still play vital roles this fall.
