National Outlet Names Three Badgers to Preseason All-Big Ten Team

Athlon Sports didn't have much Wisconsin representation in its preseason All-Big Ten teams.

LB Mason Posa and his partner in crime, Cooper Catalano. | Christian Borman.

There's a handful of football players in Madison, Wisconsin who appear to be in prime position to burst onto the national — or at least Big Ten — radar this fall.

Still, the national media isn't privy to them quite yet. After all, the Badgers are coming off a dismal 4-8 campaign and are in the midst of a steady downwards trajectory under head coach Luke Fickell.

Thus, Wisconsin has largely been an afterthought in most national outlets' periphery this offseason. The Badgers aren't expected to make much noise, both in the loaded Big Ten and on a larger scale. That's been evident all offseason, and it continues to be the case in Athlon Sports' Preseason All-Big Ten selections.

The Badgers have three selections on Athlon's All-Big Ten list, which goes four teams deep. Badgers On SI breaks down each selection — and our take on the pick — below:

LB Mason Posa (Second-Team Defense)

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

This is something of a status quo pick from Athlon. Posa is considered a preseason second-team All-Big Ten selection by several outlets, including Phil Steele's iconic preview magazine. He's behind three of the same players in both publications as well: Indiana's Rolijah Hardy and Isaiah Jones, and Maryland's Daniel Wingate. Translation? Posa is generally a top-8 linebacker in the Big Ten, but also generally considered to be in the latter half of that group.

It's exciting to see the national media so high on Posa, but I truly believe he could work his way up to the first-team ranks when all is said and done in 2026. His knack for being around the football (four sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery as a true freshman) makes him a legitimate wrecking ball on defense that can flip the script of a game with one well-timed splash play.

We saw it in the Badgers' upset win over Washington, when his strip sack of Huskies' quarterback Demond Williams set up Wisconsin's go-ahead touchdown. Not many defensive players are capable of making that kind of impact on any given play; that's what makes Posa so special.

Safety Marvin Burks Jr. (Third-Team Defense)

Wisconsin safety Marvin Burks Jr. | Christian Borman.

Marvin Burks Jr., the Missouri transfer who spent the past two seasons starting in the SEC, is one of the Badgers' most-forgotten players. It's unclear why; he looks like a legitimate plug-and-play starter hardened by years of experience in the gauntlet of the Southeastern Conference.

Burks is a grizzled veteran whose experience and eye discipline put him position to make plays around the ball. His tackling can be a little inconsistent, but he's a hard, physical hitter and though he hasn't been tested extensively in coverage, he looks more than capable of holding his own in that department as well.

Wisconsin's safety situation is interesting. Burks probably deserves a spot on a preseason All-Big Ten selection due to his experience and production, but he's been notably left off a few other publications' lists, including Steele's, who interestingly enough has Matt Jung (whom he considers an "NFL-caliber" safety) listed and not Burks.

LB Cooper Catalano (Fourth-Team Defense)

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

Catalano is a consensus fourth-team All-Big Ten selection amongst a couple of different outlets as well. He, like his running mate Posa, seem to share a consensus about where they rank in the hierarchy of Big Ten linebackers.

I understand why Posa is considered a better player at this point that Catalano for many of the reasons laid out above. His ability to make enormous, game-flipping plays is something that Catalano, for as good as his freshman year was, didn't display as consistently. Still, Catalano is a tackling machine and I fully expect him to lead Wisconsin in tackles this fall and put together a campaign worthy of third or second-team all-conference honors, at least.