4 thoughts on Wisconsin football's defense after 4 spring practices
Time to talk about what the Badgers' defense has shown early on.
Mike Tressel and the University of Wisconsin football staff need to replace the reproduction of two key edge rushers on their defense. Judging by the play of a few Badgers early on during spring practices this month, there’s hope this is a reload and not rebuild situation.
Mason Reiger and Darryl Peterson III both have moved on to chase NFL aspirations after combining for 11½ sacks and 17½ tackles for loss in 2025. Tressel said he looks at those who are returning to the program and how to help them be in position and grow, and Wisconsin’s first four spring practices of 2026 have seen plenty of outside linebackers continue to disrupt the Badgers’ offense.
Every session since March 19 has seen a wide variety of outside linebackers make plays in the offensive backfield, whether it was a pressure, would-be sack or tackle for loss. The names range from upperclassmen such as Sebastian Cheeks, Tyreese Fearbry and Division III Liam Danitz to second-year players Nick Clayton and Jaylen Williams. Williams, in particular, has shown significant leaps both in play and in the weight room from his first year in Madison. Will McDonald, who came to Wisconsin as a walk-on, also made a great play during the March 21 practice in containing quarterback Deuce Adams from scrambling outside and forcing a would-be sack.
“I’ve seen huge steps in guys like Micheal Garner and Jaylen Williams. I mean huge steps in those guys,” Tressel said. “Justus Boone, when he was rocking and rolling, you can just tell he’s going to be an impactful player. But probably how much growth is Sebastian (Cheeks) going to have going into his last year?
“DP had huge growth going into his last year. Can we have something similar out of Sebastian, and then watching Nick (Clayton) just take over is really fun, too. So I think we have the guys, so instead of talking about what we lost, I’m excited about what we have.”
It’s still quite early during spring ball, and there hasn’t been a fully-padded practice yet. As Wisconsin is on spring break until next week, here are three other takeaways from the defense after the first four spring sessions. Also check out Badger Observer’s thoughts on the offense from Saturday.
