Player Previews: Can OLB Sebastian Cheeks Take the Leap Wisconsin is Banking On?

There's an immense amount of pressure on Cheeks to develop into a top pass-rusher.

Wisconsin outside linebacker Sebastian Cheeks. | Jake Kocorowski

Over the course of the summer leading up to Big Ten Media Days and fall camp, Badgers On SI will extensively preview Wisconsin football's roster with a write-up for each player expected to be remotely involved in 2026.

We continue the series with Wisconsin's projected top edge rusher, fifth-year outside linebacker Sebastian Cheeks.

2025 Stats

24 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 3.0 sacks

Overview

Cheeks is one of the Badgers' most important players for 2025. The fifth-year edge rusher is the most experienced and productive player in the Badgers' outside linebacker room, and the coaching staff hasn't been shy about placing big expectations on him this offseason.

"(Darryl Peterson) had huge growth going into his last year. Can we have something similar out of Sebastian?" defensive coordinator Mike Tressel asked rhetorically this spring.

There's good reason to believe that's exactly what we can expect out of Cheeks. The 6-foot-3, 243-pound pass-rusher had the best season of his career last fall, and did so while starting just three games. He played in all 12, but if given a full season to go to work on the edge, it doesn't appear irresponsible to ask Cheeks to reach the level of a Peterson or a Mason Reiger from last season.

“It starts with a little bit of leadership. Cheeks is one of those guys that’s always been comfortable in his own skin," head coach Luke Fickell said this spring. "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.”

Cheeks will be the top option in a room that, aside from him, is essentially completely unproven in Madison and at the Big Ten level. How he plays — especially how he rushes the passer — will go a long way towards determining if the Badgers' defense continues to take steps towards being a dominant unit this fall.

Best-Case Scenario

#Badgers’ OLB Sebastian Cheeks’ get-off and bend on this sack is absolutely gorgeous — all while fighting through a blatant face mask.

The talent in this room is there. pic.twitter.com/ftpJqskC9o

— Seamus (@seamus_rohrer) July 23, 2026

If all goes according to plan, Cheeks follows a similar progression to Peterson, developing into a quality Big Ten starter in his final season of eligibility. But Cheeks appears to be a superior athlete to the man who's shoes he'll fill, especially in regards to twitch and get-off. Midway through spring practice, outside backers coach Matt Mitchell said its between Cheeks and sophomore Nick Clayton as to who has the best get-off in his room.

Thus, I could see Cheeks really blossoming as a fifth year player. Pop on his highlights, like the one above, and he truly does have some excellent jump off the ball. If his edge-setting is up to par, it might be hard to take him off the field this fall.

In a best-case scenario, Cheeks explodes onto the scene and has a similar impact as Reiger did last year. In that case, I could see him with anywhere from five to 10 sacks and similar pressure numbers as Reiger had last in 2025 (45 quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus).

“The guys before me paved the way and set a standard for the room," he said during spring camp. “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.”

Worst-Case Scenario

Cheeks is going to play plenty this fall, especially considering how he's been praised as a leader. But if things go awry, Cheeks simply doesn't take the leap as a pass rusher that the entire program is counting on him to.

Heading into his fifth year and in what appears to be the best football shape of his life, it's hard to see regression from Cheeks in an expanded role. But there's an immense amount of pressure on the outside linebacker to carry this pass-rush, and that can get to even the most experienced, mature players. The most likely worst-case scenario I see unfolding is Cheeks' numbers simply not being what they need to in order for the Badgers to deploy a formidable pass rush.

“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. That’s been a good thing for me, seeing different body types, body lengths," he added.

Prediction

Wisconsin OLB Sebastian Cheeks. | Christian Borman.

I'm not sure if Cheeks is as good of a pure pass-rusher as Reiger was last season, but I could certainly see him putting up similar numbers. The current Miami Dolphin had 32 tackles and 5.0 sacks while easily leading the team in pressures. I'd expect something along the same lines for Cheeks this fall.