Luke Fickell to give young Badgers more opportunities in search of competitive spirit

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is looking for Badgers players to show their competitive spirit. The search has led him down a path that could result in more playing time for a pair of true freshmen.

Wisconsin linebacker Cooper Catalano (44) tackles Middle Tennessee running back Jekail Middlebrook (9) during the fourth quarter of the game Saturday, September 6, 2025 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Middle Tennessee 42-10. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Wisconsin Badgers under Luke Fickell have struggled to close out games and regular seasons, losing three of their final five in 2023 and five straight to end the 2024 campaign.

Those results prompted the team to grow stronger mentally and become more resilient.

Through a tough pair of losses to Maryland and Michigan, Fickell has often said Wisconsin needs to find out the competitive spirit of its players.

After watching the tape from the loss to the Wolverines, he sees some opportunities for some different players to get playing time.

"There's enough competitive spirit that it just has to continue to permeate throughout (the team)," he said. "If that means we put some guys in some different spots and some different positions because they have the competitive spirit and the competitive nature that give you the best chance to win on Saturday, that's what we've got to be able to do."

Fickell noted those players could be young or old, but the two players he name-dropped were freshmen linebackers Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano.

Both drew plenty of praise throughout camp for their advanced play, both mentally and physically. So far, it's been Posa who's been able to crack the linebacker rotation.

He's been deployed in third-down packages over Wisconsin's last two games and has shined in limited action. In Ann Arbor, Posa punched the football out from behind a wide receiver. Against Maryland, he batted down a pass.

Mason Posa is a playmaker pic.twitter.com/CBFSro8LKu

— Dillon Graff (@DillonGraff) October 5, 2025

Catalano handled a handful of snaps down the stretch of Wisconsin's first three games, but he's seen just one snap across the last two weeks.

Don't expect a drastic jump in their playing time right away, though.

"We'll give some more opportunities this week, obviously practice-wise, and go from there," Fickell said.

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