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Wisconsin linebacker Mason Posa sees Badgers as College Football Playoff team in 2026

Wisconsin Badgers breakout linebacker Mason Posa is setting expectations high for the 2026 season thanks to strong additions in the transfer portal by Luke Fickell.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Mason Posa (8) is seen during the first half of the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday October 11, 2025 at Camp Randall in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Mason Posa (8) is seen during the first half of the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday October 11, 2025 at Camp Randall in Madison, Wisconsin. | Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers exciting additions in the transfer portal are quickly raising expectations for the 2026 season.

Having a much easier schedule, on paper, helps with that too.

Breakout freshman linebacker Mason Posa isn't afraid to set the bar high for what the Badgers wants to accomplish in his second season.

Posa Wants the Badgers in the CFB playoff battle

In an interview with ESPN Madison, he said he sees Wisconsin as a College Football Playoff team in 2026.

"The schedule this upcoming year is a lot lighter, and I can see us being in the playoffs," Posa said. "I see us at least, worst possibility, having nine wins, ten wins. That’s the worst I think. That’s just my mindset. Who doesn’t put a 10-2 Big Ten team into the playoffs? That’s the goal. The goal is to go undefeated."

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Double-digit wins and a CFP push would be a massive turnaround from the 4-8 season in 2025 that almost got Luke Fickell fired.

But Posa sees the team turning a corner this winter, in large part due to the additions they're making in the transfer portal.

He's been using that pitch to help recruit transfers as they come in.

"I just tell them how this program is changing and just what we’ve done so far in the portal," Posa told ESPN Madison. "We’re competing with Indiana, Texas Tech, all these big schools who are spending money. I tell them, just look at what we’re doing right now in the transfer portal. We are getting guys to win football games."

posa
Wisconsin linebacker Mason Posa (8) tackles Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2) during the first quarter of their game Saturday, November 8, 2025 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Related: Wisconsin Badgers turned to Hall of Famer Joe Thomas to help recruit transfer portal offensive linemen

Posa 2025 stats

Mason Posa had very solid first year. Posa's 2025 stats included:

  • 58 tackles, including 30 solo
  • 4 sacks
  • 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery
  • 3 passes defended

Posa appeared in all 11 Badgers games, but really begin to turn up his game play in late October where he posted double digit tackles in consecutive games against Oregon, Washington and Illinois. He was pivotal in the November 8 13-10 Wisconsin upset against ranked Washington when Posa made 11 tackles, had 2.5 sacks and forced and recovered a fumble.

mason posa
Nov 8, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2) and Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Mason Posa (8) reach for the football during the third quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The pressure on Fickell was already going to be sky high entering a 2026 season that is make-or-break for the coaching staff.

Posa isn't afraid of high expectations and sounds ready to take them head-on with a reloaded roster next fall.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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