Wisconsin is still building out the machinery behind its football program, and the latest move comes with the 2026 season looming. The Badgers have added Marcus Berry to a high-level personnel post, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, and Wisconsin says he will work as Senior Director of Personnel Strategy in Madison.
Berry arrives with a long résumé in college personnel work. He was most recently at Temple, where he served first as Chief of Staff and then as Director of Player Personnel. Temple’s website says he “spearheaded the team's recruiting process” in that role.
His path to Wisconsin stretches across several major programs. Before Temple, Berry spent eight years as Maryland’s Director of Recruiting. He also worked as Director of Player Personnel at Rutgers, Illinois and North Carolina, and he had brief NFL stops in personnel and scouting with the Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Wisconsin’s bio on Berry describes him as someone who “arrived in Madison with more than 25 years of experience building development-driven rosters at the Power Five and NFL levels.” That kind of background fits the direction the Badgers have taken this offseason, with Morocco Brown brought in as General Manager and Darius Hicks hired as Director of Scouting and Player Personnel.
Berry’s role figures to be broader than the day-to-day recruiting work he has handled at previous stops. In Madison, he should be operating with a wider view of the roster, working closely with Brown on the larger personnel picture as Wisconsin keeps shaping its team year after year.
The hire is also one of Shawn Eichorst’s first football-program moves as athletic director. Berry brings East Coast ties from his time at Maryland, and Wisconsin will be hoping that experience helps open more doors in that part of the country.
As roster building in college football becomes more and more professionalized, the Badgers are adding people who know the process inside and out. Berry is another experienced hand in a front office that is clearly being stocked for the long haul.
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Wisconsin Has 3 Freshmen Who Could Matter Right Away Against Notre Dame
For most of the offseason chatter around Wisconsins 2026 recruiting class, the attention naturally landed on quarterback Ryan Hopkins. But as fall camp has unfolded, a few other true freshmen have started to push their way into the conversation, and that matters with Notre Dame on the horizon. Wide receiver Brock, tight end Sievers and defensive player Dunmore have each shown enough promise to put themselves in position for early snaps, even if their first impact is more likely to come on special teams or in limited rotational work.
That kind of contribution may not make headlines in September, but it can still shape a season, especially against a matchup that will demand clean execution and depth from the Badgers. Coaches have liked what theyve seen from the trios work ethic and intelligence, and those traits often translate fastest when young players are asked to do the little things well. Wisconsin is still early in the process of finding out exactly how much it can trust them, but the fact they are already in the mix says plenty about the opportunity in front of them. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Freeman Just Sent Wisconsin Fans A Needed Reminder At Lambeau
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From a Badgers perspective, the praise landed as a useful reminder that this is not a program being overlooked by those who know the sport best. Freeman singled out quarterback Colton Joseph along with linebackers Mason Posa and Sebastian Cheeks, which says plenty about where the attention is heading as the game approaches. With both coaches now leading their own programs, the matchup carries the feel of a reunion and a measuring-stick moment at the same time, and Wisconsin fans have reason to believe their team is being taken seriously. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Faces An Early Notre Dame Test It May Not Be Ready For
Wisconsin heads into the season with a defense that should again be the more reliable part of the roster, and the early look at the Badgers suggests there is real reason to believe in the groups physicality and depth. Mason Posa, Cooper Catalano, Kevin Heywood and Emerson Mandell are among the players shaping the outlook, and the overall picture is one of a team trying to steady itself while the offense continues to find its footing. Injuries always loom over any preseason conversation, but this groups baseline still points to a defense that can help keep games within reach.
The bigger issue is what happens when the competition ramps up quickly, because Notre Dame arrives as the kind of early test that can expose loose ends on both sides of the ball. Wisconsins preparation has to account for a matchup that will demand more than just solid effort and a competent plan, especially if the offense is still sorting out its own identity. The Badgers may like where their defense stands, but the first real measuring stick could show whether that is enough to carry them through a much tougher opening stretch. [Read more 🡒]