Player Previews: What Will LB Thomas "Tommy Turbo" Heiberger Provide in 2026?

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 third-year linebacker, Thomas Heiberger.

2025 Stats

Seven tackles across 95 defensive snaps.

Overview

Many players in Heiberger's shoes would've hit the transfer portal by now. After all, he's about to experience his third season of college football and he's played fewer than 100 snaps on defense. What's more, there's two younger, more talented players ahead of him at inside linebacker who won't lose their job anytime soon.

Still, Heiberger stuck around in Madison, and he should be rewarded with an increased role this fall. He's not competing with Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano for snaps; he's competing with Kansas transfer Jon Jon Kamara, who plays the third ILB position or "STAR" in Mike Tressel's defense. That third ILB spot is more of an off-ball linebacker who can play in space and off the edge. It's a unique position as part of Tressel's more exotic packages.

“Tommy’s done an unbelievable job to this point. He’s done everything we’ve asked of him. Like Jon Jon, he gives a different skillset than the other two. He’s a guy that, while you can reduce down and walk him up on the edge and do some of the front multiplicity stuff, he also has enough movement skills to play off the ball and in space," inside backers coach Tuf Borland said this spring.

A similarly athletic, long, rangy linebacker like Kamara, Heiberger not only offers a good depth option behind the Badgers' star inside backers but a unique skillset and role that can be deployed alongside Posa and Catalano.

Best-Case Scenario

Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Thomas Heiberger. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Heiberger is likely a backup at the STAR spot, which is already a position that won't be on the field in the Badgers' base defense. Thus, snaps are still going to be somewhat hard to come by for "Tommy Turbo" in his third year.

Still, in a best-case scenario, Heiberger proves to be on the same level as Kamara or even better. That would earn him plenty of snaps at that third linebacker spot, and position him to make an impact on this defense.

In a perfect world for Heiberger, he plays a light but meaningful workload of snaps in each game, and he makes every last one of them count. With his versatile skillset and ability to play in space and also close to the line of scrimmage and off the edge, he becomes the kind of player offenses have to account for on every snap when he's on the field.

"Just a really good feel for the game that will flash in practice," Borland continued. "Tommy is a guy that, most people don’t understand how young and inexperienced he is, just with the injuries he’s had over the course of his career. Done an unbelievable job approaching it the right way this offseason and has set himself up in a really good way.”

Worst-Case Scenario

Heiberger could be in for a third-straight season of fewer than 100 defensive snaps. This is one of the most talented inside linebacker rooms in the country, and he'll still likely enter the season as a backup . The worst-case scenario for Heiberger involves him simply struggling to get on the field.

In this scenario, Kamara is a revelation and the staff wants to get him on the field frequently. That leaves little playing time for Heiberger, who, despite having taken big steps this offseason, is the victim of a stacked inside linebacker room in Madison.

Prediction

I like Heiberger's game, but again, there's an embarrassment of riches in Borland's linebacker room. He still has a shot to overtake Kamara in the pecking order, but barring a breakout fall camp, I don't see that happening with how much praise the Kansas transfer has drawn this offseason.

Thus, expect another quiet statistical year for Heiberger. I'd imagine he finally hits double-digit tackles and potentially picks up a sack or two if given enough opportunities on the edge, but his opportunities look to be few and far between this fall.

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