Joshua Perry, a football analyst for the Big Ten Network, has been counting down his top 30 players in the conference for the upcoming college football season.
Coming in at No. 8 was no other than Wisconsin’s star outside linebacker Nick Herbig out of Kauai, Hawaii.
“At Wisconsin, defense is key, and Herbig is the next linebacker to take the throne,” said Perry.
In 2021, the Hawaii native registered the second-highest pass-rushing grade (91.4) for a Wisconsin defender since 2016, trailing only inside linebacker Leo Chenal, who posted a 91.8 pass-rushing grade of his own last season.
As a sophomore, Herbig, who led all Big Ten edge rushers in pass rush win rate, registered 64 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, four pass deflections, and two forced fumbles en route to being named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten.
Media pundits and Badgers fans alike are expecting a monster junior season from the 6-foot-2, 228-pound OLB, who is now the face of Jim Leonhard’s defense for the upcoming season.
If he continues on his upward developmental trajectory, this could very well be Herbig’s last season in Madison before the NFL comes calling.
Big year loading for @nickherbig_ 🚀
— Wisconsin On BTN (@WisconsinOnBTN) August 19, 2022
The @BadgerFootball star LB is No. 8⃣ in @RIP_JEP's Top Players list: pic.twitter.com/FdwOs0XsUC
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