Where Does Wisconsin Get Its Pass-Rush From in 2023?
Since becoming the head coach of the Wisconsin football program, Luke Fickell has completely rebuilt the coaching staff, recruited like a madman, and hit a few home runs in the transfer portal.
Optimism surrounding the football program is the highest I've seen in over a decade, and understandably so.
It's important to note that none of what's happened matters if it doesn't translate into wins this fall, but before that happens, let's explore one potential area of concern--does UW have enough pass-rushers in the stable to make life difficult on opposing QBs in 2023?
Can Wisconsin Generate Enough Pass-Rush?
According to PFF, the Wisconsin football defense generated 209 pressures this past season, good for roughly 16 per game.
Of those 209, 62 came from Nick Herbig and Keeanu Benton, both of which declared for the NFL draft. Those two players were the heartbeat of the defense and accounted for over half of the team's sacks (15.5) and nearly 30% of the Badgers' total pressures.
Under new defensive coordinator Mike Tressell, he intends to run a hybrid defense mixing the Badgers 3-4 with his patented 3-3-5 alignment.
Which begs the question, where does UW get its pass-rush from without its two most disruptive options in 2023?
Wisconsin Returns Both Starting ILBs
Thankfully, UW returns both of its starting inside linebackers, Maema Njongmeta and Jordan Turner, next season. The ILB duo developed into an impactful pairing in the heart of the Wisconsin football defense, leading the team in tackles and finishing third and fourth in pressures, registering 25 and 23, respectively.
Njongmeta finished second on the team in pass-rush win rate, registering an elite 35.7%.
Another name worth monitoring is Jake Chaney, who's entering his third season with the program. The 5-foot-11, 230-pound ILB played 163 snaps last season and generated 10 pressures of his own. He's a talented young linebacker with a knack for getting after the QB.
Wisconsin football should get plenty of pressure from its inside linebackers in 2023.
Returning Experience
Another boon came when Wisconsin found out that starting OLB C.J. Goetz was returning for a sixth season in Madison.
In 2022, Goetz finished with 62 tackles, 16 pressures, two sacks, and two pass deflections. His 16 pressures were good for fifth on the Badgers' defense, and it's also worth noting that he played the best ball of his career in the second half of the season.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound OLB had the second-highest PFF grade on the Wisconsin football defense among returning players (74.5) and is the most experienced pass-rusher on the team, having logged 883 career snaps.
Goetz is one of the Badgers' top run defenders and tacklers in the front seven, and although he's not known for his pass-rushing ability, his presence will help provide stability to an otherwise unproven room of OLBs.