Why Brody Pfannenstiel Reminds Me of a Former Star Badgers Pass-Rusher

The Badgers just flipped a pass-rusher from Texas Tech whose similarities to a former Wisconsin star are hard to ignore.

Wisconsin bolstered its 2027 haul Tuesday night with a pledge from edge rusher and former Red Raiders Commit Brody Pfannenstiel, who became the 23rd commitment for the Badgers in a class that ranks No. 18 on 247Sports (7th in the Big Ten) and No. 24 on On3/Rivals (9th in the Big Ten).

Pfannenstiel is a big get for Wisconsin as an extremely athletic prospect coveted by about a dozen Power Four programs who has the exact size and traits the Badgers covet on the edge.

But his addition is also quite exciting for a reason I can't help coming back to: Pfannenstiel strongly reminds me of former Badgers' pass-rusher Mason Reiger.

Reiger, of course, transferred to Wisconsin from Louisville ahead of the 2025 season. He immediately became the Badgers' best pass-rusher and led the team with a whopping 45 pressures to go along with 32 tackles, five sacks and one pass-breakup.

Those are relatively modest numbers, but it's the 45 pressures that tell the story. Even when Reiger didn't get his hands on the quarterback, he often affected the play by willing himself into the backfield. His get-off on the edge was the best I've seen in Madison since Nick Herbig.

Scouting Brody Pfannenstiel

Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Mason Reiger. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Pop on Pfannenstiel's tape, and you immediately begin to see similarities between the two. It helps that they two both wear No. 22, of course, but the comparison goes way deeper.

Pfannenstiel has a similar explosiveness out of his stance on the edge that we saw in Reiger. Whether playing with his hand in the dirt or standing up off the ball, the pass-rusher has tremendous get-off and flies into the backfield in a way that's very reminiscent of the former Badgers star. His bend and the way he's able to dip his body under offensive tackles was also a big part of Reiger's wheelhouse.

Pfannenstiel sets edges in a similar way, displaying an ability to fight through traffic at the line of scrimmage and track down the ball-carrier.

What's more, the two have a pretty similar frame and size. Reiger was listed at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, while Pfannenstiel is 6-foot-4, 225. He'll add mass to that frame as he goes through Wisconsin's strength and conditioning program, and the two could wind up at a very similar playing weight.

Reiger was extremely fast off the edge, and Pfannenstiel fits that description to a tee as well. He's clocked a 11.77 100-meter time in high school, and the well-rounded athlete also plays basketball in addition to track and field.

Reiger was a caliber of player Wisconsin hadn't deployed at outside linebacker in a long time — lightning quick off the edge with great size and a relentless motor. After studying the former Texas Tech pledge, I can't help but see Mason Reiger 2.0.

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