Five things to watch on Wisconsin's defense as spring football starts
COLTEN BARTHOLOMEW
Updated
The University of Wisconsin football team’s defense already recorded perhaps its most important stop of the year.
Keeping coordinator Jim Leonhard in Madison — a decision he says was him choosing UW more than turning down the Green Bay Packers’ offer of the same job — means one of the most promising young coaches in football will lead the Badgers’ defense once again.
UW defensive end Matt Henningsen sacks Iowa's Nate Stanley during the first quarter of a 2019 game. Henningsen missed most of last season due to an elbow injury, but has the most experience among the defensive ends on UW's roster this spring.
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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.
Former Badgers starter Jack Coan and returning sophomore Drew Pyne have been splitting the first-team reps through the first four spring practices at Notre Dame.
State Journal beat reporters Colten Bartholomew, Todd Milewski and Jim Polzin get together over Zoom for a special episode dedicated to the impending retirement of University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez.
