With Week 1 now just two weeks out, Wisconsin’s 2026 schedule is starting to take shape in a very real way. One of the biggest questions for the Badgers will be how they handle elite pressure off the edge, and a look around their 12 regular-season opponents shows plenty of pass-rushing talent waiting on the other side.
Notre Dame’s Fadil Diggs is the first name that jumps off the page. After an injury-shortened 2024 season, Traore delivered a strong 2025 campaign, putting up 37 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 11 games, all starts.
That production put him on the Bednarik Award Watch List for 2026, where he is one of three Fighting Irish players included. At 6-foot-5 and 253 pounds, he wins with first-step burst and a varied pass-rush package, though there is still room for him to improve versus the run.
If he’s fully past the significant knee injury he suffered in early 2024, he could be in line for an even bigger year when Notre Dame meets Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Week 1.
The Badgers will also have to deal with Maryland’s pass rush in Week 11, and Yaseem Wray is at the center of that conversation. Stewart arrived on campus and immediately became a starter, opening 11 of 12 games as a true freshman in 2025.
He finished with 32 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two pass deflections and a forced fumble, earning Freshman All-American honors from On3 and the FWAA. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 255 pounds, he may not have ideal height for the edge, but he makes up for it with power and closing speed.
He’ll be joined by sophomore Zahir Mathis and incoming freshman Zion Elee, giving Maryland a front Wisconsin has to respect.
Minnesota brings a proven star to Camp Randall in Week 13. Smith passed on an early-round NFL Draft opportunity to return for one more season, and he did so after a huge 2025.
He collected 38 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and three pass deflections in 13 games, earning First-Team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and Second-Team honors from the media. The 6-foot-6, 280-pound senior can simply overpower blockers, and his length makes life miserable for quarterbacks even when the initial rush doesn’t win outright.
Wisconsin, though, has seen him before: Smith had just one tackle against the Badgers last season and still hasn’t recorded a sack in three career rivalry games.
UCLA’s West is another transfer addition worth tracking. He followed head coach Bob Chesney from James Madison and arrives as one of the Bruins’ top portal pickups.
After redshirting in 2024, he broke out in 2025 with 45 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four pass breakups and a forced fumble in 14 games. That season earned him First-Team Freshman All-American and Sun Belt Freshman of the Year recognition.
At 6-foot-3 and 279 pounds, West brings real explosiveness and power off the edge, though the leap from the Sun Belt to the Big Ten will be a test. Wisconsin sees him in Week 7 at the Rose Bowl.
USC’s Crawford rounds out the list after taking a clear step forward in 2025. He followed up a 2024 season that included 19 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks by posting 41 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and a fumble recovery across 13 appearances.
His best outing may have come in the Alamo Bowl against TCU, when he finished with seven tackles and two sacks. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound junior brings a strong frame, a reliable effort level and solid run defense, but he still has room to sharpen his pass-rush game.
Wisconsin will face him and the USC front seven in Madison in Week 8.
In Other News...
Wisconsin May Have Found A New Strength Up Front
During fall camp, Luke Fickell has sounded increasingly comfortable with one of the most important areas on Wisconsins roster: the interior defensive line. What had looked like a question mark earlier in the offseason now appears to be a unit the Badgers can lean on, thanks to an experienced group built mostly around seniors and fifth-year players.
That kind of maturity matters in a Big Ten season, especially for a front expected to rotate heavily and keep fresh bodies on the field. Fickells confidence in the groups growth suggests Wisconsin believes it may have found a way to make life harder on opposing offenses right where games are often decided, even if the true payoff wont be clear until the season starts to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Faces A Few Crucial Week 1 Battles After Fall Camp
Fall camp has closed with Wisconsin still sorting through several key spots on its projected depth chart, and the timing matters with Notre Dame waiting in Week 1. The Badgers have a clearer picture than they did a few weeks ago, but the roster is still being shaped by player health, late camp evaluation and a handful of position battles that were never going to be fully settled before the opener.
Some of the uncertainty is understandable this time of year, especially with injuries affecting availability and giving the staff a little less certainty than it would prefer going into a game of this size. Even so, the final stretch of camp offered enough clues to suggest where Wisconsin feels comfortable and where the decisions are still tight, leaving the Badgers with a few crucial questions to answer before they line up against the Irish. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins Deepest Unit Could Define The Badgers This Fall
Wisconsins front seven looks like the kind of group that can shape a season before the first month is even over. The Badgers were already stout against the run last fall, finishing 15th nationally by allowing 105.2 yards per game, and Luke Fickell has plenty of reason to believe that side of the ball can be even tougher this year. Returning pieces are part of the equation, but so are nine transfer additions who give the staff more options than it had a year ago.
What stands out most is the sheer number of bodies available at defensive line and outside linebacker, with roughly ten players in position to help. That kind of depth can make a difference late in games and late in the season, when rotation matters as much as talent. For Wisconsin, the bigger question is not whether the front can play, but how far a deeper, more flexible group can carry the Badgers if it lives up to the early optimism. [Read more 🡒]