Former Wisconsin football star caps breakout season with Super Bowl win
Former Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Zack Baun capped a breakout season for the Eagles with a 40-22 Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
At the end of last season, former Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Zack Baun looked like just another special teams player—an afterthought when it comes to the grand scheme of NFL roster construction. Four years in New Orleans had seen him carve out a role, but never the one he always envisioned.
Then came a fresh start with the Philadelphia Eagles, and in the span of one season, Baun went from overlooked to indispensable.
Now, the former Badgers star is a Super Bowl champion.
Baun turned a modest one-year, $3.5 million deal into an absolute bargain for Howie Roseman and the Eagles, becoming one of the league's most productive and versatile linebackers after years of hard work behind the scenes.
Under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, Baun flourished, leading the Eagles with 150 tackles, 16 pressures, 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
Baun wasn’t just productive—he was dominant at every level. According to Pro Football Focus stable metrics, Baun finished in the 97th percentile in coverage grade, 95th percentile in run stop %, and 79th percentile as a pass-rusher.
Whether dropping back in coverage, blowing up run plays, or applying pressure on opposing quarterbacks, Baun emerged as one of the most complete linebackers in pro football this season.
His breakout campaign earned him Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors while finishing as Pro Football Focus’ top-graded linebacker and a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year—well-deserved honors for Baun, who has consistently outperformed expectations since his days playing college football in Madison.
“Vic's defense is crazy,” Baun said on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast.
“It’s a lot of communication, and it’s tough on the brain, but he puts guys in position to make plays. Coming to the Eagles, I didn’t know if I’d be an on-ball or off-ball linebacker, but Vic implemented a way for me to do both. My versatility really helped me fit into this system.”
The postseason only reinforced Baun's emergence as a defensive playmaker for head coach Nick Sirianni. In the Wild Card round against the Packers, he came up with a big interception. The following week, in the Divisional round, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker recovered a fumble to help the Eagles advance. In the NFC Championship, Baun made his presence felt again by forcing a fumble and recovering another.
Then, on the biggest stage in Super Bowl LIX, Baun delivered yet again. In a 40-22 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs, Baun led the Eagles' defense with seven total tackles, adding a pass deflection, a QB hit, and the game-altering interception late in the first half. That diving pick set up a quick touchdown, helping Philadelphia enter halftime with a 24-0 lead.
"I told Oren Burks in the locker room, 'I've never seen this team this ready for a game,'" Buan said. "We were so well-prepared that it was easy for us to feel confident and just go out and execute."
The Eagles’ defense overwhelmed Patrick Mahomes, sacking him six times and forcing two interceptions, denying the Kansas City Chiefs their bid for an NFL-record third consecutive Super Bowl win.
Baun’s rise from special teams player to defensive star is one of the NFL’s best success stories from this past season, but for those who followed his career with the Wisconsin Badgers football program, it comes as little to no surprise.
A Milwaukee native and former high school quarterback at Brown Deer, Baun was a consensus first-team All-American and finalist for the Butkus Award at Wisconsin in 2019 after recording 76 tackles (53 solo), 52 pressures, 19.5 TFLs, 12.5 sacks, three pass deflections, and a pair of forced fumbles for the Badgers under former head coach Paul Chryst.
That dominance led to Baun being selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Saints, but his first four seasons were largely defined by patience and perseverance. He totaled just 91 tackles, two sacks, and an interception in New Orleans, primarily contributing on special teams. It wasn’t until his move to Philly that he finally had the chance to showcase the playmaking ability Wisconsin fans always knew he possessed.
Baun's Super Bowl victory adds to a proud lineage of former Badgers making an impact on football’s biggest stage. A former Wisconsin football player has now played in 38 of the 59 Super Bowls, including 15 of the last 16 overall.
Twenty-four have gone on to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy, including at least one in each of the last 11 years. Baun’s victory, however, denied fellow Badgers linebacker Leo Chenal his third straight ring since being drafted by the Chiefs.
With Baun’s win, Wisconsin’s legacy of producing Super Bowl champions has grown even stronger. His rise—from overlooked high school recruit with just two scholarship offers to a building block in the NFL—stands as one of the best redemption stories in recent memory.
From special teams contributor to defensive centerpiece and now a Super Bowl champion—Zack Baun has officially arrived. And with free agency on the horizon, Baun is poised to land the biggest payday of his NFL career.
We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.
You can also follow Site Publisher Dillon Graff at @DillonGraff on X.