Wisconsin football OLB Darryl Peterson confirms return for 2025 season
Wisconsin Badgers outside linebacker Darryl Peterson has announced that he’ll return to the football program for the 2025 season.
The University of Wisconsin football program is set to retain an experienced player on its defensive front.
Starting outside linebacker Darryl Peterson announced that he will return to the Badgers for the 2025 season and utilize his final year of eligibility.
“Finishing what I started!” Peterson wrote. “1 Last Ride in Camp Randall.”
The 6-foot-1, 247-pound pass-rusher made his announcement public on the same day the transfer portal opened. Peterson's return provides a much-needed win for a Wisconsin defense facing a significant amount of turnover this offseason due to graduation and the portal.
Peterson, a former four-star recruit in the class of 2021, has been a solid contributor for the Badgers over the last three seasons. He’s appeared in 40 games during his career. Notably, Peterson hasn't missed a game in the past three seasons while tallying 103 total tackles, 63 pressures, 13 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, four pass deflections, and a fumble recovery.
His return provides stability to a defense in desperate need of veteran leadership. With the Badgers focused on adding size to the front seven this offseason, Peterson already fits the mold physically.
“I think one of the things we have to address in recruiting, we have to address in the transfer portal, is we have to get bigger, and we have to get bigger up front of the defensive line,” Fickell said. “That is going to be an incredible emphasis.”
As a redshirt junior, Peterson recorded 28 tackles, 21 pressures, one sack, and a pass deflection. He earned a 63.5 defensive grade and a 64.5 mark as a pass-rusher. The Akron, Ohio, native, posted solid but unremarkable grades as a run defender, in coverage, and as a tackler.
The Badgers' defensive front is undergoing a massive overhaul heading into 2025. Key contributors Elijah Hills and John Pius have exhausted their eligibility. At the same time, Curt Neal, James Thompson Jr., and Leon Lowery have entered the transfer portal, leaving substantial gaps to fill on both the defensive line and in the outside linebacker room.
Aaron Witt and Sebastian Cheeks are expected to return, while young players like Thomas Heiberger and Anelu Lafaele, along with incoming freshmen Samuel Lateju and Nicolas Clayton, provide hope for the future. However, this unit will need as much help as possible to bridge the gap.
The Badgers struggled to generate pressure in 2024, ranking 118th nationally with just 17 sacks as a team on the season. Further, Mike Tressel's unit finished 128th out of 134 programs in havoc rate and had one of their worst seasons as a run defense in the last decade. Peterson, who recorded just one sack last year, will be counted on to have a more impactful final season and help improve their lackluster pass rush.
While Wisconsin is already in the market for reinforcements at the position via the transfer portal, Peterson’s return is a crucial first step for a defense that needs to find a way to get after the quarterback in 2025.
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I'm not going to lie...figured it was going to be Badgers losing another to the transfer portal. Very happy he's returning!!