'Just panicking': Badgers LB Maema Njongmeta details heart health scare he faced last season

The Badgers must find a new top unit at the defensive end spots after two years of productive play from Isaiahh Loudermilk and Garrett Rand. Loudermilk is making a run at the NFL while Rand stepped away from football due to injuries.

Junior Matt Henningsen, who missed five games last season after tearing his bicep, and sophomore Isaiah Mullens are the most experienced players in the group and can serve as the starters, but building the talent behind them will be crucial this spring.

The Badgers have been churning out pro-ready outside linebackers in recent years, with players like Zack Baun, Vince Biegel, Andrew Van Ginkel, Leon Jacobs and T.J. Watt becoming NFL starters. The current group of outside backers has high-level talent but didn’t have the most productive season in 2020. UW had 11 sacks last season, with four coming from its outside linebackers.

Both starters return in senior Noah Burks and freshman Nick Herbig, and key rotation players like C.J. Goetz, Spencer Lytle and Marty Strey also are back. This group could be defined by the development of freshmen Kaden Johnson and Aaron Witt. Johnson was a four-star recruit and saw action in three games last season, while Witt played in five games and tallied a strip sack in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over Wake Forest.

When inside linebacker Jack Sanborn announced his return for another year at UW, it gave the Badgers one of the best tandems of linebackers in the Big Ten for another season. Sanborn (52) and Chenal (46) led the Badgers in tackles and Chenal (three sacks, seven hurries) was the most productive pass-rusher on the team.

Senior Mike Maskalunas will play his final year at UW this fall after serving as the backup at both inside linebacker spots last season. This spring could be a showcase for young players in this group like Tate Grass, Maema Njongmeta, Malik Reed and Jordan Turner to push for roles.

The only vacated starting role in the Badgers’ defense without a proven replacement is safety. Eric Burrell played in 48 games and made 26 starts over four seasons at UW, but the Badgers need to find his replacement this spring as he makes his way to the pros.

There are options for the spot in players like Titus Toler and John Torchio, who have seen time over the past two seasons. Leonhard could opt for Scott Nelson and Collin Wilder to man both safety spots after the two rotated at one last season.

UW cornerbacks were short on highlights in 2020. None of the team’s seven interceptions came from corners, they were beat for big plays on multiple occasions in rivalry games at Northwestern and Iowa, and they didn’t take the step forward one would expect from a group that had between six and seven players with significant playing time under their belts.

New cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat inherits a room with multiple starters back, including Faion Hicks and Casear Williams, and young players needing to become more consistent like Donte Burton, Deron Harrell and Semar Melvin.