Player Previews: Why DL Charles Perkins Could Become a Fan-Favorite 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 former FCS transfer, defensive lineman Charles "Perc 30" Perkins.

2025 Stats

Six tackles, 2.0 TFLs.

Overview

Perkins only played 73 defensive snaps last season and was the No. 5 defensive lineman behind Ben Barten, Jay'Viar Suggs, Brandon Lane and Parker Petersen. His first year in Madison after transferring from FCS UT-Martin was quiet one, but the big man is now positioned for all of the work he can handle.

Perkins should be one of the Badgers' top defensive linemen right alongside Hammond Russell IV, Junior Poyser and Dillan Johnson. According to his defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow, he's had a tremendous offseason.

“Perk has had an amazing spring for us. Year one, he battled some ankle injuries," Whitlow said. "The juice that he provides every single day. He’s really been competing. His effort to the football, his strain level has increased. He’s done a phenomenal job of using the techniques and playing with the techniques that we’re coaching here. I’m expecting some good things out of him.”

At 6-foot-2, 330 pounds, there's a reason they call him "Big Perc." He's the Badgers' heaviest defensive linemen, narrowly beating out the Buffalo transfer Poyser. According to Perkins, Wisconsin wants him to shed some of that mass.

Perkins said that he came into spring ball at around 335 pounds, and he wants to get down to a playing weight of 320 or 315. But he's something of a dancing bear-type of defensive lineman, extremely heavy and strong but also light on his feet and surprisingly agile. If he can put it all together this fall, there's a lot to like about his skillset.

Best-Case Scenario

Wisconsin DL Charles Perkins. | Christian Borman.

No one has claimed the top defensive lineman spot in this room quite yet. There's no reason why it couldn't wind up being Perkins.

The big man is now entering his fifth season of college football and it's all out in front of him. He's been in Wisconsin's strength and conditioning program for over a year. He's been thrown into the fire that is the Big Ten. Perkins has the size and experience that helped the Badgers deploy a largely stout defensive line last season. All he has to do now is go prove it on the field.

This spring, defensive coordinator Mike Tressel was asked who's stood out to him on the interior. He gave the following answer without hesitation:

"Well first of all I gotta say this, (Perkins) has...come on, knock on wood, keep rolling...but he's shown great strides. That's really exciting to see."

In a best-case scenario for Perkins, he emerges as the Badgers' top defensive lineman, becomes one of the conferences' sneaky better interior defenders and earns NFL opportunities when the season is over.

Worst-Case Scenario

With how wide open this defensive line room is, Perkins could also very well slide down the depth chart if he can't consistently make things happen on the field. In a worst-case scenario for the big man, he simply struggles to make a positive impact when he does see the field, leading to a dwindling snap count and limited production.

I could see a world where Perkins is surpassed by Russell, Poyser and Johnson, but still plays several hundred snaps as Wisconsin maintains a constant rotation up front. It's hard to see him sliding much further down the pecking order than that with his size and experience.

Prediction

By all accounts, Perkins has turned himself into a different player this offseason. Defensive tackles in this scheme aren't going to rack up statistics, but I expect Perkins to step into a starting role and do a very solid job up front. With his unique play-style, thick Tennessee drawl and bevy of nicknames, I see Perkins becoming a fan favorite this fall.

Something in the neighborhood of 20 tackles and anywhere from one to five sacks seems about right for the former FCS standout.

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