Jake Chaney returns to Wisconsin Badgers in assistant role for fall camp

Day one of fall camp down at UW-Platteville featured a familiar face working alongside the University of Wisconsin football players and staff.

It was Jake Chaney.

The former Badgers inside linebacker, who is a coach’s son with the kind of football DNA you can’t teach, was back on the field, though not in full pads. For now, Chaney’s NFL aspirations remain alive. He’s still training, still staying ready, still waiting for that phone call.

Chaney went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft, a spring that saw only two Badgers hear their names called: offensive tackle Jack Nelson by the Falcons and safety Hunter Wohler to the Colts.

For a player with Chaney’s production and motor, it was a tough pill to swallow. But he wasn’t going to sulk about it. Instead, he went right back to work, training and staying ready for the call that could come at any time.

But as head coach Luke Fickell made clear after practice, there’s a door open in Madison if a career in professional football doesn’t materialize.

“Well, he’s got his phone by his side, so you just never know,” Fickell told reporters. “As you guys probably know, he wants to be a coach someday. And I’m not saying football’s over for Jake. But Jake’s one of us. If he’s not in a camp, he’ll be out here with us and continue to move forward with what life after playing the game of football looks like.

"He’s still working out and making sure that if somebody calls, he’s got his car ready to roll. But it’s great to have him out here.”

Chaney leaves behind a solid Wisconsin career. In 2024, he started 10 of 11 games, posting 55 total tackles and four tackles for loss, including a sack against Penn State and a 10-tackle performance at Iowa.

The year prior, the Florida native ranked second on the team with 80 total tackles, recording three sacks and back-to-back games with a takedown of the quarterback against Washington State and Georgia Southern.

For all the stats and production, Chaney was always known for being more than just a good player. A steadying presence in the locker room, a grinder in the weight room, and a player who understood the game at a deeper level. Those traits will serve him well if his future is on the headset instead of between the hashes.

The NCAA recently lifted restrictions on the number of paid coaches a college football program can have, creating more opportunities for players like Chaney to make the transition to the staff side of the sport. And with his track record, it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine him quickly becoming a valued part of the Badgers’ coaching infrastructure.

For now, Chaney will keep one eye on his phone and the other on the work being done in fall camp. Whether his next stop is an NFL training camp or an official spot on Fickell’s defensive staff, it’s clear that Chaney isn’t done with football, and football isn’t done with him.