The Wisconsin Badgers didn’t have the season they were anticipating in 2025, going 4-8 as they had a rough six-game losing streak before a big November with multiple top-25 wins.
Much of the issue came offensively, as the Badgers ranked amongst the worst offenses in college football in nearly every category. But, Wisconsin also saw some ups and downs defensively.
With the season over, let’s grade the Badgers defense position-by-position compared to expectations.
Defensive Line/Outside Linebackers: B
This was the group that saw the most growth in 2025. Wisconsin’s defensive line was an issue early in the season when it came to rushing the passer.
The Badgers could not get much pressure, which was seen at times in their first two games, but was really illustrated in the blowout loss to Alabama. From there, the struggles were seen over Wisconsin’s six-game losing streak.
But, we saw a growth there in multiple ways starting in late October. We saw Darryl Peterson take a step forward. Mason Reiger continued to play with high effort. The interior pass rush was working better. And Mike Tressel started to figure out his personnel.
The run defense was an interesting trend as well. Wisconsin was ranked as one of the top run defenses in the country through the first four weeks of the season. But, they faced some porous rushing attacks and were hit hard when facing elite rushing teams like the Michigan Wolverines and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
I thought Wisconsin’s run defense was best at the end of the year. Even in a 31-7 loss, Wisconsin limited Indiana and their strong rushing attack. They did good in the ground game against Oregon. They controlled the line of scrimmage against Washington and Illinois in the weather.
That bumps up this grade to a B when considering expectations. Wisconsin spent to get a ton of bodies in the room. Some panned out and became regulars in the rotation, where fresh bodies was big at the end of the year.
I thought the early-season results weren’t great. But, there was considerable growth with the group. Now, Wisconsin will need to revamp the room again this offseason with some experience.
Inside Linebackers: B
This was a room that also saw considerable growth as the season went on, but for different reasons.
Wisconsin started the year with Christian Alliegro and Tackett Curtis at linebacker. That duo had its moments, but also some notable struggles during the six-game losing streak.
Both players aren’t naturally as good in coverage, so it was tough when their mistakes in the run game showed up. But, Wisconsin made the switch to Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano against Oregon when Alliegro was hurt, benching Curtis in the process.
Both players were immediate hits for the Badgers, instantly elevating the defense while seeing considerable growth week-by-week. Posa and Catalano are the building blocks of the defense going forward.
Alliegro is a talented player and Wisconsin worked well with their the three-linebacker rotation at the end of the year. They need to figure out a role for him next season alongside the two rising sophomores because Tressel’s defense thrives on athletic sideline-to-sideline guys.
Cornerbacks: D+
This grade might be a bit unfair because, as I’ve shared throughout the year, it was clear that Wisconsin was going to put its cornerbacks in some tough spots defensively this year.
With a struggling pass rush, the Badgers did not want to give up explosive plays, so it was a lot of off-coverage zone looks. So naturally, Wisconsin’s corners gave up a lot of catches.
Most didn’t actually hurt the team much, but it was the one-on-one struggles that led to explosives that were a killer during the losses this season.
In games like Alabama, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana, it was the explosive plays in the air that proved to be the game-defining plays.
The other issue was just the lack of turnovers, but it’s also tough to be in those situations to create them without as aggressive of a play style in the secondary.
Ricardo Hallman had an average season, but I thought he wasn’t used in a way that didn’t fully maximize his skillset. D’Yoni Hill and Geimere Latimer were both average in coverage, but were hard hitters in the run game.
Ultimately, this group didn’t have much depth and were really killed by the losses of Xavier Lucas (transfer portal) and Nyzier Fourqurean (eligibility battle).
With those two and Hallman, we probably see different results (and approach) in the secondary.
Safeties: D
The safety play was probably the most disappointing part of Wisconsin’s defense this year.
Preston Zachman’s season-ending injury was a big blow, as it took away Wisconsin’s biggest playmaker in the room and forced Matt Jung into a bigger role that he just wasn’t ready for.
Jung had a tough learning curve, struggling against both the run and the pass, with too many explosive plays coming against him.
Brown also regressed and didn’t have the best year. The safety play probably also went into Wisconsin’s more conservative approach in the secondary defensively, but it wasn’t a good year for the group.
I’d expect the Badgers to look into the transfer portal here this offseason.
