Wisconsin opens its season Sunday, and with it comes the first real answers to a handful of lingering questions from the summer. Luke Fickell is trying to steer the Badgers back after back-to-back losing seasons, and the defensive side of the ball is where one of the earliest tests begins.
The front is the obvious place to start, because Wisconsin’s 2025 success on the defensive line came from having a small core of players handle heavy volume. Ben Barten, Brandon Lane, Parker Petersen and Jay'Viar Suggs all logged more than 225 snaps, and that kind of stability helped set the tone.
The question now is whether the Badgers can recreate that formula in 2026. There are plenty of names in the mix, and a few of them could be asked to carry real workloads if they stay healthy.
Hammond Russell, Charles Perkins, Junior Poyser, Dillan Johnson and Nolan Vils are all candidates to push past 200 snaps, while Jacob Anderson and DeNigel Cooper are also possible options. The group doesn’t come with a clear-cut star, but it does bring a lot of bodies.
"I think that our ability to play with nine guys (edges included) up there is going to give us the chance to wear some people down," Fickell said.
The edge group brings a different kind of question: how much can Mike Tressel mix things up with it? That’s the next piece Wisconsin will start sorting out once the game against Notre Dame gets underway.
In Other News...
Wisconsin True Freshmen Are Already Forcing Their Way Into Week 1
With a 2026 freshmen class that checks in at just 13 players and an offseason plan built more around transfers, Wisconsin still appears to have a couple of true freshmen carving out real roles before the season even settles in. Luke Fickell singled out cornerback Donovan Dunmore and tight end Jack Sievers as players who could help right away on special teams, which is often the quickest path for young Badgers to get on the field and into the weekly conversation.
Ryan Hopkins and Kash Brock have also drawn attention in practice, giving Wisconsin a little more intrigue at two positions where every promising young rep matters. Their immediate playing time is less certain, but the fact that both have already stood out in camp says something about the way this freshman group is pushing for relevance despite its small size and the roster churn around it. [Read more 🡒]
MarShawn Lloyd Brings Unexpected Notre Dame Heat To Lambeau Week
As Wisconsin gets set for its matchup with Notre Dame at Lambeau Field, one Packers teammate has already picked a side. MarShawn Lloyd, now in Green Bay after his time at USC, made it clear he still carries some lingering irritation from the Trojans' loss to the Fighting Irish during his 2023 season, and he plans to be pulling for the Badgers in this one.
Lloyd also added a little locker-room spice to the occasion by talking up a friendly wager with Aaron Banks, who played at Notre Dame. It is a small subplot compared with the game itself, but it gives Lambeau Week a bit of extra edge for Wisconsin fans, especially with a former USC back in the Packers' orbit taking their side for once. [Read more 🡒]
Badgers Hockey Is Getting A Rare Lambeau Field Spotlight
Wisconsin hockey is set for a showcase few college programs ever get, with a doubleheader at Lambeau Field on Feb. 20 that puts the mens team against Michigan and the womens team against Ohio State. For a program that already carries plenty of in-state weight, the chance to play on one of the sports most famous football stages adds a different kind of spotlight, and it brings college hockey back to Lambeau for the first time since 2006.
Tickets are slated to go on pre-sale Sept. 9, with general sales opening Sept. 11, giving Badgers fans an early chance to circle one of the more unusual dates on the winter calendar. The matchup itself has the kind of built-in appeal that fits the setting, and the broader event gives Wisconsin a rare opportunity to showcase both programs in front of a marquee crowd before the real weather of hockey season even settles in. [Read more 🡒]