Player Previews: What Will OL Colin Cubberly Offer for an Encore?

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 a returning starter on the offensive line, projected starting left guard Colin Cubberly.

2025 Stats

11 games, seven starts at right guard

Overview

Cubberly got his first career start in Week 2 of his redshirt freshman season last fall, earning the nod against Middle Tennessee State as the Badgers shuffled their offensive line in the wake of Davis Heinzen's meltdown at left tackle. What followed was a solid debut that still unsurprisingly left plenty to be desired.

Count Cubberly as one of many players who was thrown to the wolves last fall due to injury and poor roster construction. It's hard to judge what Cubberly will bring to the table in 2026 based off last season, because it was truly a trial by fire. And by all accounts, he's taken major strides in the offseason.

"He’s learning how to play more under control, play with his cleats in the grass, not play as top heavy as he did last season. I feel that he’s one of the most improved players I’ve had in a while from a season to a spring," offensive line coach Eric Mateos said this spring.

Now, Cubberly looks primed to man Wisconsin's starting left guard spot, entering what will essentially be his second season as a full-time starter.

Best-Case Scenario

Wisconsin offensive lineman Colin Cubberly. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

If Cubberly continues to progress, he could develop into a superb run-blocker. The guard's play-style is physical and nasty, to the point where his teammates and coaches have mentioned his extracurriculars to the media.

Star linebacker Mason Posa said he “Does a little extra stuff after plays. He’ll deny that," while Mateos added that Cubberly is "Just kind of like a dirtbag." In the context of an offensive lineman, those can be good traits to have as long as he keeps his fundamentals and temper under control.

In Cubberly's best-case scenario, his confidence continues to soar, as Mateos mentioned it has been.

"I like how he views himself. He’s gone through a transformation of how he views himself. I think he kinda viewed himself as, ‘hey, I’m a contributor. I wanna try and not spill the milk.’ That’s kinda how he played last season. ‘I wanna hurt people, but I don’t wanna mess up.' That’s kinda how his film looked as a redshirt freshman," the coach said.

Worst-Case Scenario

If it hits the fan for Cubberly as a redshirt sophomore, he simply plays worse than he did last fall. Given his well-documented improvement this spring, that seems like a pretty distant possibility. Wisconsin has a lot of players like Cubberly, who are clearly on an upwards trajectory. That, of course, is a good thing.

Cubberly is still working on his pass protection, according to Mateos, and if he falters this fall, it would likely be due to shortcomings in that department.

“We’ve still got a long long ways to go. We’ve gotta get better in our drop back pass sets, we gotta get better in poor hand placement and protection," Mateos said of the lineman.

Prediction

I'm not sure Cubberly becomes an All-Big Ten-caliber lineman in his third lap around the track, but I do see him being a very serviceable, Big Ten-level starting guard. I see him continue to progress over the summer, into fall camp and the season; he'll be a staple of the Badgers' offensive line this fall, and I've got him as a slightly above-average Big Ten offensive guard.

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