Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the engine of Wisconsin’s 2023 defense will be its inside linebacker play.
New Defensive Coordinator Mike Tressel relies heavily on the position, as Jim Leonhard also did. Just recently we saw Ivan Pace at Cincinnati thrive under Tressel and become one of college football’s best players.
Does Wisconsin have a Pace on this defense? It’s a hard question to answer. But if that answer is yes, it will be second-year starter Maema Njongmeta.
Njongmeta led Wisconsin in tackles last year with 95, second in tackles-for-loss with 12.5, recorded 3.5 sacks and was one of the defense’s most steady players. He should be the unit’s leader in a new scheme that will deploy him alongside both Jake Chaney and Jordan Turner at times.
There is some national recognition to note before training camp gets underway. Njongmeta was named to the Bronco Nagurski Trophy watch list:
On the ๐ for ๐ฝ๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐จ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฎ๐๐ง ๐๐ฃ ๐พ๐ค๐ก๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐คซ@NagurskiTrophy | @the_maema pic.twitter.com/63aFQim5iI
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) August 1, 2023
The award is given to college football’s best defensive player. It’s been around since 1993 and a Wisconsin Badger has yet to receive the honor.