Badgers' Assistant Coach Considered one of Top Rising Stars in the Sport

Wisconsin football has one of the best inside linebacker units in the country, featuring a pair of rising superstars in Mason Posa, Cooper Catalano.

It also might have one of the best young coaches in the game leading the room.

Badgers' inside linebackers coach Tuf Borland, who was named inside linebackers coach this offseason, is already considered one of the top young rising star coaches in the nation.

Chris Hummer of CBS Sports posted his annual college football 30Under30, highlighting the top young assistant coaches in the country. Borland, without having even coached a game as inside linebackers coach in Madison, cracked the list.

College football's top young coaches and rising stars: This is the 10th iteration of @247Sports' 30Under30 list.

30 new names this year + many other young coaches/staffers to have on the radar for the future.https://t.co/UrHQON6U9s pic.twitter.com/enWlP3zUaA
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) August 18, 2026

"Wisconsin promoted Borland for a reason. Said one program source of him: 'He's a really good young coach,'" Hummer's article reads.

Borland has quickly risen the ranks in Madison, and he oversees some elite talent in that linebacker room. Regardless, Hummer's sources must be quite high on Borland's potential considering he has yet to coach a game as the full-time inside linebackers coach.

Borland's rise

Borland, at 28 years old, has quickly entrenched himself into the college football coaching world. The former Ohio State linebacker from 2016-2020 joined Wisconsin in 2023 as a graduate assistant.

By 2025, he was the assistant inside linebackers coach to Mike Tressel, who also of course serves as the Badgers' defensive coordinator. A year later, Fickell felt comfortable handing him the keys to the inside linebacker room.

“His leadership has just come out where the linebackers wanna soak up everything he says. The way he runs the meeting, you can tell the guys are getting exactly what they need to get," Tressel said of Borland this spring.

"He’s obviously a smart football guy, but as we’ve gone on, the guys have recognized these coaching points he’s giving them, they’re the real deal. They’re really grabbing onto him.”

What awaits Borland in 2026?

Wisconsin ILBs coach Tuf Borland. | Christian Borman.

Obviously, it helps when you have two of the best young inside linebackers in the nation in your room. These backers are going to be good, but it goes beyond Posa and Catalano.

Kansas transfer Jon Jon Kamara is an extremely athletic, versatile player who lines up all over the formation in the third-ILB or "STAR" role. Third-year player Tommy Heiberger can play all three positions and looks particularly adept at pass coverage.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of rotations Borland deploys. Posa and Catalano are every-down linebackers, but how often does he sprinkle in Kamara and Heiberger?

Another thing to watch, Borland-wise, is how this room improves as pass-rushers this fall. Every player that will see the field can line up in a variety of alignments, but how they're deployed to supplement the pass rush will be interesting as well.

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