Wisconsin Football Inside Linebacker Room Season Outlook & Player Expectations

With fall camp just around the corner for new head coach Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin football program — BadgerNotes continues our rollout of position previews. We’ve already done QB, RB, WR, TE, OL, DL, and OLBs thus far. 

But I want our position previews and season outlook write-ups to be different than a regurgitated version of what every outlet is putting out. 

I want to approach this breakdown by establishing individual player expectations heading into the season so we can more effectively evaluate each player at the end of the season—that way, we can avoid being a prisoner of the moment. 

So, let’s review the breakdown of how we define player expectations:

• No expectations (walk-ons, true freshmen, practice bodies).
• Low expectations (roster fillers, third team players, next man up situation).
• Moderate expectations (key backups & role players *how well are you playing the role asked of you).
• High expectations (core players of the team you expect to make a big impact in their role or statistically). 

Let’s continue our series with the Wisconsin football inside linebackers. 

High Expectations 

• Maema Njongmeta (RS SR)
• Jordan Turner (RS JR)
• Jake Chaney (JR)

I’m placing Maema Njongmeta, Jordan Turner, and Jake Chaney in the high-expectations group for the Badgers this season. In this grouping, I added Chaney in addition to the starters because I see him as a core contributor and playmaker on defense who should see big-time snaps and offer starter-quality contributions.

At 6 feet and 240 pounds, Njongmeta has the size and athleticism to be a dominant force in the middle of the Wisconsin football defense. He has already shown flashes of his potential, leading UW with a team-high 95 tackles, adding 25 pressures, 12.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, and an interception en route to Third-team All-Big Ten honors. I see him being one of the top playmakers on the defense in 2023.

Then there is Turner, the 6-foot-1, 236-pound inside linebacker who registered 65 tackles (2nd on the team), 23 pressures, five tackles for loss, two sacks, and an interception — while also earning defensive MVP honors at the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. He’s a high-upside player who should take another big step forward as a force inside if the game can slow down.

Finally, Chaney is a player I might be higher on than most entering the 2023 season. Now in his third season with the program, the 5-foot-11, 230-pound ILB played 269 snaps last season and had 38 tackles, 10 pressures, 4.0 TFLs, one sack, and one interception. He’s a talented young linebacker with a knack for getting after the QB — and I suspect that Mike Tressel will use him in some creative ways to create havoc.

To meet expectations, everyone in this grouping needs to be at least above average to high-quality level play at inside linebacker — if not higher. I don’t see anyone from this tier getting knocked off their spot on the depth chart. This group is full of game-wreckers.

Wisconsin Football ILBs With Moderate Expectations

• Tatum Grass (RS SR)
• Bryan Sanborn (RS SO)

I’m lumping Tatum Grass and Bryan Sanborn in the moderate expectations group. One for obvious reasons, and the other is a tad bit of projection on my end.

Grass, a former walk-on, has 33 games of experience and finished last season with 20 tackles, 3.0 pressures, and 1.0 TFLs. He’s played 141 snaps and finished with a PFF grade of (65.4-above average). He’s the obvious choice to be on the second-team defense at inside linebacker and is a nice luxury to have round out the two-deep.

On the projection end of things, I’m putting Sanborn into this group because he’s the next player I think will break through at the position for Wisconsin football.

By all accounts, the redshirt sophomore has made big strides in his development and even saw the field sparingly last season. Sanborn played 18 snaps on defense, appeared in 11 games on special teams, and registered eight tackles. If the new coaching staff likes Sanborn as much as I’ve heard they do — they might find ways to get him snaps whenever possible to groom him for 2024.

To meet expectations, Grass and Sanborn need to hold their spot on the depth chart, be sure tacklers, and offer meaningful depth to an inside linebacker room full of studs — in the case of Sanborn specifically — I’d love to see him on the field sparingly before the game is in the bag.

Wisconsin Football ILBs With Low Expectations

• Aidan Vaughan (RS FR)

In this low-expectations group, I will put redshirt freshman Aidan Vaughan.

At this point, nobody knows who falls next in line on the inside linebacker depth chart for Wisconsin football, but Vaughan had explosive HUDL film coming out of high school — and I love his ceiling.

He appeared in one game last season against Washington State, but I’d like to see the 6-foot-2, 220-pound LB take a big step forward and find himself solidly on the third-team defense in 2023.

To meet expectations, Vaughan needs to show flashes throughout the year, appear in a couple of games, and position himself for a spot in the two-deep next season.

No Expectations 

• Garrison Solliday (RS SO)
• Tyler Jansey (FR)

Finally, I’ve got walk-on Garrison Solliday and true freshman Tyler Jansey in the no-expectations group.

Jansey is a true freshman that’ll be interesting to watch. Physically, all the tools are there, and he’s mature enough to see the field. However, there is no opportunity for him to grab this fall. I’ll have my eye on him as a thumper at inside linebacker who could be a nice piece down the road.

To meet expectations, this group needs to focus on the weight room, learning the playbook, and continued development.

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