Wisconsin spent the offseason turning over nearly every corner of its roster, but one spot still looks like a real pressure point heading into 2026: outside linebacker.
The Badgers added 47 new players this offseason, including 33 transfers and 14 true freshmen, and the roster overhaul was backed by substantially more robust funding. Wisconsin reportedly more than doubled its roster budget for 2026, and the upgrades show up most clearly on the offensive line and in the defensive backfield.
Outside linebacker, though, is a different story.
Wisconsin has to replace its top two players there, Mason Reiger and Darryl Peterson, who combined for 65 tackles and 11.5 sacks last fall. Peterson spent his entire career in Madison, while Reiger was a one-year addition from Louisville. Both were more than just productive; they were steady, tone-setting pieces for the defense snap after snap.
That leaves Sebastian Cheeks as the top returning option. He was the No. 3 pass-rusher in the room by snap count last season, and he still put up 24 tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks. Now the Badgers are asking the fifth-year senior to become the headliner off the edge.
"We're looking for a big year out of Sebastian. He is in a position for us that has to be a disruptor. He has to create havoc for us defensively," Fickell said at Big Ten Media Days.
That message has been consistent all offseason. During spring ball, defensive coordinator Mike Tressel compared Cheeks directly to Peterson and wondered aloud whether he could make the same kind of jump in his final college season.
Fickell also pointed to Cheeks’ development as an example of what Wisconsin has been building internally.
"Sebastian has grown incredibly. I think he's a great example of some of the things we've done in our program.
I know it doesn't show to everybody. When these guys continue to return understanding where they have grown, what they've been able to do, they recognize the efforts that have been put in to make them who we are," Fickell continued.
There’s reason for the staff’s confidence. Outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell said Cheeks and rising sophomore Nick Clayton are essentially neck and neck for the best get-off in the room.
Fickell closed by stressing that Cheeks already mattered to what Wisconsin did late last season, but that the expectation now is for even more.
"We've been pretty darn good, especially late in the year last year defensively, and Sebastian had a big part of that. He has to have a greater part of that going into this fall here soon," Fickell added.
The Badgers have made it clear all offseason that Cheeks is one of the central pieces of the defense. In his final year of college football, the spotlight is only getting brighter.
In Other News...
Badgers Face Painful New Uncertainty Around Promising Back Gideon Ituka
Gideon Itukas future has become one of the most sobering storylines around Wisconsin this offseason. The running back was not included on the official 2026 roster, a notable sign for a player who had been expected to be part of the programs backfield mix before last seasons injury changed everything. Even with that uncertainty, Ituka remains around the team and continues to be involved in some capacity as he works through the aftermath of a severe setback.
Luke Fickells latest update only deepened the concern, because the coach made clear there is no clean timeline for a return. For a player who still had reasons to believe he could carve out a role in Madison, the issue now is less about when he might be back and more about whether he will ever be cleared to play contact football again. [Read more 🡒]
Badgers Making Early Push For In-State Lineman Fans Need To Watch
Wisconsin has already made contact with in-state defensive lineman Zachery Lavoe, a 2028 prospect who is starting to pick up real early attention. The Badgers have also lined up a campus visit for him on Sept. 19, giving the staff a closer look at a player who is still early in the recruiting process but already on the radar of several programs.
Lavoe has drawn interest from Missouri, Minnesota and Iowa State, though he has not landed a scholarship offer yet. For Wisconsin, the bigger question is how he would fit along the defensive front, especially as the staff continues sorting out its board and weighing where he might line up alongside other targets such as Hendrix Dawson. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Fickell Finally Said What Wisconsin Fans Needed To Hear
At Big Ten media day, Luke Fickell sounded like a coach who knows Wisconsin can no longer lean on its history to do the heavy lifting. He said the program has fallen short of the standard it expects, and he pointed to a series of behind-the-scenes changes over the last nine months in how the Badgers operate, prepare and recover as evidence that the reset is already underway.
Fickell also made clear that the support structure around the program looks different now, with more help in the front office, on the coaching staff and in recruiting than before. For Wisconsin fans, the encouraging part was not just the acknowledgment of what has gone wrong, but the sense that the Badgers are trying to rebuild the identity that has long defined them, with a renewed emphasis on toughness and discipline going forward. [Read more 🡒]