Wisconsin Football 2024 Spring Practice Preview: Outside Linebacker

Wisconsin Badgers head football coach Luke Fickell and his staff are preparing for their second round of spring practices with the program. 

The Badgers are set to begin spring ball on March 22 and run until May 2. Several of those practices are expected to be open to the media.  

Here’s a look at Wisconsin’s outside linebacker room, along with a player to watch, a newcomer that excites me, and the biggest question mark. 

Wisconsin Football Team’s Projected OLB Depth Chart 

Oct 15, 2022; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange linebacker Leon Lowery (16) celebrates a win against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Starters: Leon Lowery, Darryl Peterson 

Backups: John Pius, Thomas Heiberger 

Others: Anelu Lafaele, Aaron Witt 

Wisconsin football completely remade its outside linebacker corps this season, bolstering the roster with longer, more athletic options that better fit the Badgers’ desired scheme moving forward.

Among the newcomers are freshmen Thomas Heiberger and Anelu Lafaele and transfers John Pius and Leon Lowery. These additions will complement returning players like Darryl Peterson and Aaron Witt to fortify a position group that faced myriad challenges in the inaugural year of Mike Tressel’s 3-3-5 defense in Madison.

With the departure of CJ Goetz, who emerged as a reliable option last season, the Badgers need to fill his shoes. Goetz led the outside linebackers statistically with 60 tackles, 24 pressures, 11 tackles for loss, and four sacks. While not a consistent pass-rushing threat, he provided valuable contributions to the team and will be missed.

Darryl Peterson emerges as the frontrunner to step up in Goetz’s absence. He showed promise with 47 tackles, 30 pressures, 4.5 sacks, and 10 tackles-for-loss last season. With Wisconsin football aiming to strengthen its pass rush in 2024, Peterson, as one of the veteran players, faces high expectations to take the next step.

The Badgers are also banking on the impact of their recent transfers. Pius, a standout from William & Mary, brings impressive credentials with 39 pressures, 9.5 sacks, and 16 tackles-for-loss in the FCS. With only one year of eligibility remaining, Pius aims to showcase his talent at the Big Ten level, positioning himself for a shot at the NFL.

Similarly, Lowery, a transfer from Syracuse, brings experience and versatility, having started 14 games over two seasons with the Orange. He had 46 tackles, 18 pressures, and 3.5 sacks, which make him a valuable addition to the Wisconsin Badgers’ depth chart.

With the outside linebacker room relatively thin following Jeff Pietrowski’s unexpected departure, Wisconsin’s freshman recruits, Heiberger and Lafaele, have the opportunity to make an immediate impact.

Badgers Player to Watch 

I’ll be honest: there are plenty of notable storylines in the Badgers’ outside linebacker room to follow, but the one player I’ll be watching is Aaron Witt—and whether he’s still capable of giving Wisconsin something. 

During the 2020 season, after playing just 11 snaps on defense during the regular season, Witt got an extended look in the Badgers season finale in the storied Dukes May Bowl against Wake Forest.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound linebacker played 26 snaps and registered 2.0 TFLs, 2.0 pressures, one sack, and a forced fumble — showing flashes of another dominant outside linebacker prospect for Wisconsin football.

pic.twitter.com/D7BL8FSfFg

— Badgers Film Clips (@Badgers_Film) July 27, 2023

However, a significant injury kept him off the field until the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl against LSU, where he played 15 snaps per PFF. I don’t know if Witt can contribute anything to the Badgers at this point, but there’s something to be said about the work he put into getting back on the field — and for that, I’ll be pulling for him. 

Wisconsin Football Newcomer That Excites Me

The same source that shared with me that Ernest Willor Jr. has been better than advertised said the same thing about Thomas Heiberger.

No matter how high you think you are on Heiberger, I can promise the Wisconsin football staff is higher.

“To the moon,” Brady Collins said regarding the upside Heiberger has athletically. “Man, he’s twitchy, he’s fast, he can bend, he’s strong, his bodies growing. He’s a big, long kid. He’s a great young man, and I’m very impressed with Tommy Turbo.”

The Jefferson High School standout checks all of the boxes for the Badgers when drawing up the ideal measurables for a prototype edge rusher. Heiberger has a 39-inch vertical leap, can broad jump 10 feet, 7 inches, and runs a 4.6-second 40-yard dash–all of which you can’t teach.

Heiberger’s upside as a pass rusher is unlimited, and I can’t wait to see how quickly he works his way into the mix—I think he’s the future here.

Outside Linebacker Room’s Biggest Question Mark 

The battle between the Wisconsin football program’s two transfers at outside linebacker is set to be a compelling narrative this spring.

Both players, John Pius, and Leon Lowery, are anticipated to make significant contributions, but the question remains: who will emerge as the frontrunner in terms of playing time?

There’s an intriguing contrast between the two athletes. Pius boasts exceptional production from his collegiate career, albeit at the FCS level.

Despite this, his recognition as an FCS All-American underscores his talent and potential impact. On the other hand, Lowery brings Power 5 experience as a Syracuse transfer, yet his on-field numbers don’t exactly jump off the page. That said, his athletic tools are very real and should pair nicely with Mike Tressel’s scheme.

With Darryl Peterson likely the favorite to hold onto his starting spot, Pius and Lowery are primed for a head-to-head battle this spring, adding an extra layer of excitement to the Wisconsin football team’s positional overhaul on the outside — because pass-rush needed a shot in the arm.

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