A pair of Wisconsin linebackers look like the real steals in EA Sports College Football 27, where the Badgers come in at just 79 overall as a team.
That team rating slots Wisconsin alongside Baylor, Cincinnati, Duke, Illinois, NC State, North Carolina, and Northwestern. For comparison, Oregon sits at the top of the game at 91 overall, while Ohio State and Indiana are both at 90.
With Wisconsin rated that low, it makes sense that the Badgers’ highest-rated player is only an 85 overall. But once you get past the top line and into the full roster - 73 players in all - two ratings jump off the page.
Mason Posa checks in at 80 overall, which puts him among three Badgers at that number and inside the team’s top 10. That still feels light for what the true freshman did last season.
The New Mexico native posted 58 total tackles, with 30 solo stops, added four sacks, forced two fumbles, and broke up three passes. His key ratings include 81 speed, 78 strength, 78 agility, 80 change of direction, and 84 awareness.
The strength number, especially, looks low. Come CFP28, there’s no doubt Posa will be far higher than an 80 overall.
Then there’s Cooper Catalano, who comes in at 73 overall. The true freshman from Wisconsin put up nearly the same kind of production a year ago, finishing the 2025 season with 56 total tackles, 30 solo tackles, two sacks, and one pass deflection.
Catalano is one of three players at 73 overall, but that still leaves him around 40th on the team. His ratings - 81 speed, 74 strength, 79 agility, 79 change of direction, and 76 awareness - make him look like one of the most underappreciated players in the entire game.
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He also laid out the tone he wants around the department, stressing high standards, accountability and support for student-athletes while nodding to the programs history and the need to keep moving forward. Eichorst said he and his family are eager to return to Madison and spend the coming weeks and months around fans, listening to their memories and suggestions as he settles into the post. [Read more 🡒]