Wisconsin Has a Sleeper Behind Posa, Catalano at Inside Linebacker

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 inside linebackers.

Best Badger ILB During Spring Practice

This is going to be a highly entertaining position group to watch, both in practice and come fall.

There's two young budding superstars leading the way, and plenty of intriguing depth behind them. But at the top of the room, it's not easy picking the best overall player between Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano.

Both linebackers played a nearly identical amount of snaps, with Posa taking 363 and Catalano taking 362. Despite playing just the 10th and 11th-most snaps on Wisconsin's defense, respectively, they were easily the most productive.

Posa led the team in tackles with 58, and notched four sacks, three pass-breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He also notched 14 pressures and missed just 10.3 percent of his tackles, both tops amongst Badger inside linebackers last season.

Catalano wasn't far behind on the tackle leaderboard, notching 56. He also logged two sacks and a pass breakup, supplying four pressures as well.

Ultimately, Posa's numbers and his propensity for making splash plays position him as the slightly better linebacker than Catalano on paper. But in reality, the margin between the two is razor-thin, and they should only continue to make each other better.

Biggest Question

Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Aaron Witt. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Who's ILB No. 3?

Is it Aaron Witt, who returns for Madison for his seventh season and switches from outside to inside backer?

Is it Kansas transfer Jon Jon Kamara, who started three games for the Jayhawks last season and played in all 12, notching 13 tackles and a sack?

Is it Taylor Schaefer, a JUCO transfer? How about one of the redshirt sophomores, Thomas Heiberger or Landon Gautheir?

There's no easy answer, but I'm leaning towards Witt and Kamara with their experience, and perhaps favoring the latter given that while Witt is a seventh-year senior, he only played 165 snaps last season and is now playing a new position.

Player to Watch

Taylor Schaefer.

It'll be fascinating to see what this kid can do at the Big Ten level. The former JUCO star and Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin native was one of the hottest transfers at the JUCO level this season. He racked up offers and visited multiple SEC schools before electing to return home to Wisconsin, where he appears to have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Of course, Wisconsin's two starters at inside linebacker are already locked in, and with how dynamic both Posa and Catalano have proven to be, it's unclear how many risidual snaps will be left for the remainder of the room.

Still, given how sought-after he was as a transfer, Shaefer feels like a player the Badgers must find a way to use in some capacity. Watching that unfold this spring will be intriguing.

Most to Gain

Thomas Heiberger or Landon Gauthier.

We haven't seen much from either player; Heiberger played just 95 snaps last season, while Gauthier has yet to take the field.

Still, this coaching staff has proven it has no qualms playing younger players in place of veterans or highly-touted transfers if they're the better player. That's not to imply either Heiberger or Gauthier is currently better than any of the other candidates to secure the top backup spots, but the door is certainly open for either or both to make noise this spring and mosey up the depth chart.

One Bold Prediction

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) is sacked by Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Cooper Catalano (44). | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Posa and Catalano prove they're unequivocally the best players on team.

Not amongs the linebackers, not the best players on defense – the entire team.

In reality, this shouldn't even be that bold of a prediction. They were the two best players on the team last season, and it wasn't particularly close. The Badgers don't notch those two upset wins over Washington and Illinois without them.

Quarterback Colton Joseph is brimming with talent, but I have a feeling these two will make life miserable for Wisconsin's new QB1 in spring ball.

Projected Depth Chart

Weakside Linebacker	Strongside Linebacker
1. Cooper Catalano	1. Mason Posa
2. Taylor Schaefer	2. Jon Jon Kamara
3. Thomas Heiberger	3. Aaron Witt