Wisconsin football fall camp preview: outside linebacker
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It is late July, which means we are closing in on Big Ten Media Days and the beginning of fall camp for the Wisconsin Badgers football team.
The Badgers enter the 2022 season looking to improve upon their 9-4 record from a year ago and aim to get back to the Big Ten Championship Game after missing out on a Big Ten West title in 2021.
After a busy off-season filled with coaching changes, recruiting news, and transfer additions, football is nearly back. With that in mind, it is time to preview each position group leading up to the start of fall camp.
Previously covered positions:
- Quarterback
- Running back
- Fullback
- Wide receiver
- Tight end
- Interior offensive line
- Offensive tackles
- Defensive line
- Inside linebacker
Staying on the defensive side of the ball, next up in our fall camp preview series we shift our focus to the outside linebackers.
Wisconsin outside linebackers Kaden Johnson (No. 52) and Nick Herbig (No. 19) are each expected to play a key role in the defense this season.
Roster breakdown
Coaches:
- Bobby April IIII (outside linebacker coach)
Returning players:
- C.J. Goetz (RS SR) 6-foot-3, 232 lbs.
- Marty Strey (RS SR) 6-foot-2, 226 lbs.
- Nick Herbig (JR) 6-foot-2, 227 lbs.
- Kaden Johnson (RS SO) 6-foot-2, 235 lbs.
- Aaron Witt (RS SO) 6-foot-6, 254 lbs.
- Ross Gengler (RS SO) 6-foot-2, 226 lbs.
- Darryl Peterson (RS FR) 6-foot-1, 242 lbs.
- T.J. Bollers (RS FR) 6-foot-2, 251 lbs.
Projected depth chart
Starters
Field-side OLB: Nick Herbig
Boundary-side OLB: C.J. Goetz
Backups
Field-side OLB: Kaden Johnson
Boundary-side: Darryl Peterson or T.J. Bollers
Returning career production
- C.J. Goetz: 33 career games (one start), 28 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks
- Nick Herbig: 20 career games (20 starts), 90 tackles, 20.5 TFL, 10 sacks, three FF
- Marty Strey: 12 career games
- Kaden Johnson: nine career games. two tackles
- Aaron Witt: five career games, two tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble
- Darryl Peterson: two career games, one tackle
- T.J. Bollers: one career game
Position overview
There might not be a better overall position group on the roster than outside linebacker heading into the 2022 season.
The position room starts with junior Nick Herbig, who is a two-year starter and one of the best outside linebackers in the country. A preseason first-team All-American according to Phil Steele, Herbig is looking to build on his sophomore season, where he finished third on the team in tackles and led the team with nine sacks.
Herbig missed some time in the spring with an arm injury, but he took on a greater leadership role for the team. A vocal and exciting player that his teammates love, Herbig is fast and explosive off the edge, and he will be one of the most important players on the entire team this season. His ability to collapse the pocket and disrupt the opposing offense should not only allow for better production from him in 2022 but could lead to more opportunities for those around him.
Opposite of Herbig for most of the spring was C.J. Goetz. The Waukesha native is one of a handful of seniors looking to become full-time starters for the first time, and he is more than capable after rotating in with Noah Burks the past two seasons.
While Herbig is a tremendous pass rusher and moves well in space, Goetz is stout against the run and took some nice strides in the spring when it comes to pressuring the quarterback. With Noah Burks exhausting his eligibility, it is now Goetz's opportunity to shine on the boundary side of the defense, and the fifth-year senior should be ready.
Behind those top two, the assistant coach Bobby April has done a phenomenal job of building depth. The Badgers have several talented young players that have flashed at times, and the competition for playing time will be fun to watch in fall camp.
Redshirt sophomore Kaden Johnson worked with the first team during Herbig's absence in the spring and looks to be realizing his potential as a former four-star recruit. Johnson's role on the team grew last season, playing in the final six games of the year, with reps on the defense and in special teams. Johnson finished fall camp as the No. 2 option behind Herbig on the field side of the defense, and his athleticism makes him an exciting player to watch this fall.
On the other side of the field, the Badgers have Darryl Peterson and T.J. Bollers behind Goetz. The pair of redshirt freshmen are supremely talented but still unproven, having played sparingly a year ago. Each stood out in practice, including the final scrimmage of the spring, where both had multiple sacks and were disruptive throughout. Heading into fall camp, it is a safe bet that Peterson and Bollers will play more in 2022.
A potential wildcard in this group is redshirt sophomore, Aaron Witt. The Minnesota native saw snaps as a true freshman, including a strip-sack against Wake Forest in the 2020 Mayo Bowl, but an injury forced him to miss all of last season and the spring. According to Jeff Potrykus, Witt is no longer in a boot, and it will be interesting to see where he is when fall camp opens. At 6-foot-6 and over 250 pounds, he has the frame and burst to be an impact player, but that will hinge on his availability. If healthy, he could push for playing time as well.
With so many talented scholarship players available at the position, walk-ons Marty Strey and Ross Gengler will have difficulty obtaining snaps on defense but could push for reps on special teams.
Young player to watch
Wisconsin has so many young but talented outside linebackers to choose from here, but I will be interested to see what Darryl Peterson does in fall camp.
A former three-star edge rusher out of Ohio, Peterson was a significant recruiting win for the Badgers out of high school. The 6-foot-1 pass rusher chose Wisconsin over offers from Alabama and Michigan, among others, and immediately flashed at times in fall camp a year ago.
Peterson saw game action against Rutgers and in the Las Vegas Bowl late last season, and he played well, including a strong bull rusher that helped lead to a John Torchio interception off of Jayden Daniels in the bowl game.
In the spring, Peterson was the only outside linebacker cross-trained at both the field and boundary positions, potentially opening the door for him to have an expanded role in 2022. Peterson's strength and quickness off the edge made him incredibly difficult to block in spring practice, and he was one of the most impressive players I saw in the spring.
Peterson earned reps with both the first and second-team defense in the spring at times, and he has the talent level to push C.J. Goetz for the starting boundary role.
While I still think Herbig and Goetz will be the primary starters, Peterson should be in the rotation, and he could be ready for an impactful season as a pass rusher.
Biggest question
As mentioned above, I am very high on Darryl Peterson and what he could bring to the outside linebacker room. I am equally high on sophomore Kaden Johnson and redshirt freshman T.J. Bollers though as well.
So that begs the question, realistically, what roles will the young trio of Kaden Johnson, Darryl Peterson, and T.J. Bollers have this season?
Wisconsin assistant coach Bobby April has shown a willingness to rotate players at outside linebacker in an effort to keep players fresh throughout a game. For example, even though C.J. Goetz only had one start, he still added 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks behind Noah Burks. The two rotated every couple of series, allowing each player to stay healthy throughout the year and go as hard as possible when it was their turn on the field.
We could see a similar arrangement this season, as both Peterson and Bollers proved they are ready to contribute in the spring. Goetz is arguably Wisconsin's best outside linebacker against the run, but Peterson and Bollers bring a level of strength and athleticism off the edge that allows them to excel as pass rushers. I think all three will see snaps at the boundary side of the field and bring a level of depth to the boundary that the Badgers haven't had in a few years, if ever.
On the other side, Nick Herbig is one of the two best players on the entire defense, so I don't see April rotating him quite as much. However, Kaden Johnson's emergence during bowl prep and the extra reps he gained this spring with Herbig missing time should allow him to see the field more when Herbig needs a breather.
With Goetz entering his senior campaign in 2022 and Nick Herbig a potential early NFL Draft entrant with a big season, the Badgers might try to allow their young group of reserves more playing time to groom them for 2023.
Related links:
- Wisconsin outside linebacker Nick Herbig make the Lott Impact Trophy Watch List
- Wisconsin offers 2023 OLB Blake Nichelson
- Five seniors who could become full-time starters in 2022
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