This transfer OLB could be the Badgers' next Mason Reiger

Wisconsin football's spring practices are scheduled to kick off on March 19. With dozens of incoming transfers, a handful of new position coaches and a new starting quarterback once again, there'll be no shortage of intrigue when the Badgers hit the practice field.

At Badgers On SI, we'll preview spring ball position-by-position. Today, we keep it going with the outside linebackers.

Best Badger OLB During Spring Practice

Wisconsin needs an alpha to step up at pass-rusher like Mason Reiger did last season. Darryl Peterson took strides too, but Reiger had the ability to pressure the quarterback on every down and practically will his way into the backfield. The Badgers need that again this season, and Sebastian Cheeks, I'm looking at you.

Cheeks' pressure rate of 13 percent last season as the No. 3 outside linebacker, snaps-wise, was essentially the same as his 2024 pressure rate across much fewer opportunities. If he can bump that up a few percentage points, he'll get to where Reiger was last season (15 percent, with a whopping 45 pressures).

The time is now for the former North Carolina transfer. This will be Cheeks' third season in Madison, and a starting role on the edge is his to lose. The Badgers are banking on Cheeks' game taking another step forward this season, and given his experience, he should be the best/most polished outside linebacker in Matt Mitchell's room.

Biggest Question

Who reps with the 1st team?

Cheeks is locked into the first-team defense given his experience. Past that, it's anyone's guess.

Last season, the Badgers had their top player in the room play 500-plus snaps, the next two players log 360-plus snaps, and two other rotational players notch 160-plus with a handful more sprinkled in at the bottom of the rotation.

There may not be a clear No. 1 Reiger-esque player this season, which could even out the rotation slightly. Wisconsin could also take a situational approach and deploy some of its bigger outside backers (Michael Garner, Justus Boone) on earlier run downs.

My best guess would be Cheeks and Tyreese Fearbry have the inside track on passing downs, while Garner and Boone rotate in on running downs. Leaner pass-rushers like youngster Nick Clayton and D-III transfer Liam Danitz should also get a chance to show what they can do on passing downs.

Player to Watch

Liam Danitz.

This one is easy. It'll be intriguing to see what the D-III transfer can do after posting 15 sacks and 21 TFLs in 2025 with Hope College. He's on the lighter side, currently listed at 232 pounds, but that's also how he runs a sizzling 10.5 100-meter.

Danitz is likely the biggest boom-or-bust player on this roster. His talent and twitch are evident on tape, but will that translate to the Big Ten? Or will he get dominated by larger tackles.? Danitz will be a fascinating experiment this fall. He has double-digit sack upside if his game translates, or he could be completely overmatched and be an afterthought all season.

Most to Gain

Nick Clayton

It was clear upon watching Clayton at spring practice last season that the true freshman had some serious juice off the edge. It was also clear that his body wasn't quite ready to be a regular contributor in the Big Ten. After another offseason in Madison, the Badgers could be ready to unleash him. His position coach Matt Mitchell had some very high praise for him in an interview with ESPN Madison:

"I THINK NICK CLAYTON IS IN THAT (CATALANO/POSA) CATEGORY OF PLAYERS."@Coach_Mitch_ believes Nick Clayton is an OLB that Badgers fans should keep an eye on in 2026, and that he could take a Cooper Catalano/Mason Posa type leap... 👀 pic.twitter.com/gnwFjQc1Kq
— ESPN Madison (@ESPNMadison) February 12, 2026

Among other things, Mitchell noted his "high pass-rush upside." That could be the key to getting him on the field, as Wisconsin must continue to get after the quarterback to have any sort of success in this stacked conference.

There's a lot of seniors in this room, but if Clayton is one of the best pure pass-rushers, he needs to be on the field.

One Bold Prediction

Nick Clayton pushes for a starting role immediately.

Outside linebackers need to be able to handle a variety of assignments, but first and foremost, they need to be able to get after the quarterback. That's Clayton's top skill, and Wisconsin lost 16.5 sacks to graduation or the transfer portal this offseason.

What's more, spring practice is very friendly for outside backers. Without full pads, offensive linemen often can't fully square up against edge rushers without committing a blatant holding penalty. Quicker edge players like Clayton are often able to knife into the backfield easier than they would in a game or even a fully-padded practice. While the pads will come on at some point, Clayton has a great shot to make a splash. It's clear the coaching staff is eager to see what he can do.

Projected Depth Chart

Weakside OLB	Strongside OLB
1. Sebastian Cheeks	1. Tyreese Fearbry
2. Michael Garner	2. Justus Boone
3. Nick Clayton	3. Liam Danitz