Fall camp is just a day away for the Wisconsin Badgers, who will begin ramping up for the start of the season as head coach Luke Fickell prepares for his fourth year at the helm.
Ahead of camp, it’s always a fun exercise to project the depth chart based on what I saw from spring ball and where the Badgers currently stand. Wisconsin has a ton of new faces, and there should be some position battles at a couple of places in camp, namely at wide receiver, cornerback, and defensive line.
We started with
our depth chart projections for the offense. Now, here’s my pre-Fall camp depth chart projection for the Badgers on defense.
EDGE/Outside Linebacker
Starters: Sebastian Cheeks, Justus Boone
Backups: Nicolas Clayton, Tyreese Fearbry
Wisconsin has a good number of names in this room, but these four feel like the most impactful at outside linebacker for 2026.
Sebastian Cheeks is one of the most important returners in the entire program after a breakout 2025 campaign, and he’ll be the lead edge for the Badgers this season. Cheeks is a quality player in the run game, plays physical at 250 pounds, and can get to the quarterback as a three-down player.
Justus Boone is a great athlete at 6’5, 280 pounds who was dinged up for most of the spring. Still, his athleticism and physicality suit what the Badgers want on early downs at edge. He doesn’t have much pass rush background, but that’s where Nick Clayton and Tyreese Fearbry come in.
Clayton is the player poised for the biggest step in this room. After arriving at Wisconsin at 212 pounds, he’s built out his frame nicely, while maintaining his get-off off the edge. Fearbry is like the Aaron Witt of the group. He’s a physical, high-intensity player who seems past his lowlights from last year.
The Badgers have some bigger bodies in this room and some speed too. They will need some big steps up to re-create their pass rush from last year.
Defensive Line
Starters: Junior Poyser, Charles Perkins, Hammond Russell
Backups: Nolan Vils, Dillan Johnson, DeNigel Cooper
This group will be one of the most interesting groups for the Badgers in 2026 after the team’s 2025 defensive line turned out to be quite productive by the end of the season.
Hammond Russell feels like the Ben Barten replacement at 6’4, 320 pounds. He’s not the biggest defensive lineman on the team, but he’s got plenty of experience (6th-year player) and has been a run stuffer and gap-filler in the middle of a defense.
That’s what he’ll be asked to do at Wisconsin, and he’s got a fair shot at starting this year, although rotations are frequent at defensive line. Charles Perkins will hope to have a better 2026 season after injuries plagued him last year. At 6’2, 330 pounds, Perkins is short, but big and fast in the middle of the defense. When on the field in practice, he’s been a constant disruptor up the middle, but he also seems better suited to be an early-down player.
Perhaps the player with the most upside in the room is Buffalo transfer Junior Poyser, who also has good size at 6’2, 330 pounds, but has demonstrated some twitch and pass-rush potential in the past (5.5 sacks in 2025). With as much departing production as Wisconsin has, Poyser will need to step up and play a lot for the Badgers this year.
In the rotation, Nolan Vils has consistently stood out this spring, while we’re still waiting for Dillan Johnson to take the next step. DeNigel Cooper and fellow transfer Jake Anderson were two players who really didn’t flash much in the spring. We’ll see if they’re able to capitalize on opportunities more in the Fall.
One note: this feels like another year where those outside linebackers could shift inside on passing downs to add more pass-rush juice.
Linebackers
Starters: Mason Posa, Cooper Catalano
Backups: Jon Jon Kamara, Thomas Heiberger
This group is quite straightforward and should play a lot in 2026. Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano are the building blocks of the defense, with the former likely being used in a multitude of ways.
While Catalano is more of an anchor at inside linebacker, Posa can play everywhere, including on the edge as a pass rusher or a blitzer, which might be needed more in 2026.
But there should be snaps for Thomas Heiberger and Jon Jon Kamara this offseason. Heiberger has played more of that STAR role that Aaron Witt occupied last year, and it’s clear the staff has big plans for him. There’s been a ton of three-linebacker looks with Heiberger in the mix, which is where having those beefy defensive tackles comes in handy.
Kamara’s athleticism is amongst the best on the team, and Wisconsin will definitely value that on special teams. But he could also be that fourth rotating linebacker that can spell a few snaps from Catalano or Posa.
Going deeper down the depth chart, Aaron Witt could be Thomas Heiberger’s direct backup, while transfer Taylor Schaefer is the next man up at inside linebacker.
Cornerbacks
Starters: Jai’mier Scott, Javan Robinson, Bryce West (nickel)
Backups: Eric Fletcher, Cai Bates, Raphael Dunn (nickel)
Wisconsin added a lot at cornerback this offseason to replace outgoing production, and arguably got better.
They landed Bryce West after his surprise transfer, and he’s expected to be the starting nickel for Wisconsin at 5’11, 200 pounds. The main question for him is: does he play on base downs or will he be a predominant nickel for Wisconsin?
The biggest spring riser was Jai’mier Scott, who did not see the field much at all in 2025, but has taken over a starting spot on the boundary after a strong spring. At 6’1, 192 pounds, Scott has positioned himself for a big role opposite senior Javan Robinson, who is the other starting boundary corner.
But the Badgers do have depth here, unlike in 2025. Eric Fletcher will continue to push Scott for a starting job in the Fall and should play with his blazing speed on the outside. Cai Bates is a big, lengthy corner at 6’3, 200 pounds who should be the backup boundary option.
It’s unclear who would be the backup nickel to West, but we did see Raphael Dunn play some big nickel in the spring. That could be a way to get him some snaps this season.
Safeties
Starters: Marvin Burks, Matt Jung
Backups: Carson Van Dinter, Grant Dean
The Badgers also added here in the transfer portal with Marvin Burks and Carson Van Dinter, who both should play in 2025.
Burks comes after years of starting experience in the SEC at Missouri, and he’s one of Wisconsin’s top defensive players regardless of position. He’s physical and experienced, which are both good signs.
Matt Jung is a player that the coaching staff felt improved as the year went on last season after being put in a tough situation. He did struggle to start the year, but has become a leader and should start in the other safety spot.
Van Dinter should play, though. He flashed well in the spring before a minor injury and has the feel of a playmaker. Dean also has risen up the depth chart and deserves a spot on the two-deep along with Cairo Skanes. Both rising sophomores are continuing along in their development well.
