How Sebastian Cheeks Prepared to be Wisconsin's top Pass-Rusher

When Mason Reiger and Darryl Peterson graduated for Wisconsin football, and Sebastian Cheeks elected to stay in Madison for his senior season, the writing was on the wall — he's primed to be the Badgers' top pass-rusher in 2026.

Returning for his fifth-year senior season and his third year at Wisconsin, Cheeks has carved out a solid role in Mike Tressel's defense since switching from inside linebacker to the edge. He had a career year last fall as the Badgers' No. 3 outside backer, notching 24 tackles, three sacks and 27 total pressures.

Now the elder statesman in the room, the onus is on Cheeks to take a leap and become a force to be reckoned with off the edge. The coaching staff isn't shying away from placing those expectations on him publicly, either:

Cheeks Publicly Challenged to Step Up

Wisconsin linebacker Sebastian Cheeks. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"How much growth is Sebastain gonna have going into his last year?" Tressel asked rhetorically earlier in spring practice. "DP had huge growth going into his last year. Can we have something similar out of Sebastian?"

“The guys before me paved the way and set a standard for the room," Cheeks agreed.

Wisconsin doesn't just expect growth on the field from the pass-rusher. It expects growth off of it as well as a leader of the defense.

"His ability to affect others more is where we’ve challenged him, and I think you’ve seen him grow on the football field because of it. He recognizes on a daily basis that there’s an example he sets for a lot of people," head coach Luke Fickell said this spring.

What's Next for Cheeks in 2026?

Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Sebastian Cheeks. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Cheeks has flashed a little bit of that natural ability to shed blocks and work his way into the backfield that's so crucial for a top pass-rusher to have. It's been inconsistent over the course of a season, however, and if Cheeks is going to match or surpass the production of Reiger and/or Peterson last season, he'll need to be able to crank up the heat off the edge at a moment's notice. What has he worked on this offseason?

“That’s been a component of my game that I’ve tried to put emphasis on is the top end of my rush, and being able to really read the set while not taking away from my get-off," he said. That’s been a good thing for me, seeing different body types, body lengths.”

By all accounts, Cheeks has shined in spring practice and looks every bit like a player who's going to take a crucial leap in his final season in Madison. He certainly understands the expectations around him this fall, and the pressure that comes with that. Still, Cheeks knows he doesn't have to carry Wisconsin's pass-rush alone:

“The best thing with that group last year is we leaned on each other. Not just relying on one guy. It’s gonna be the same this year," he said.

Add us as a preferred source on Google