Tag: defense depth chart

BREAKING: Wisconsin lands commitment from accomplished transfer defensive lineman

Wisconsin picks up another significant transfer addition on defense.

Wisconsin landed a commitment from Western Michigan transfer defensive lineman Corey Walker on Monday.

Walker is the Badgers’ fourth portal addition of the last week, joining Louisville edge rusher Mason Reiger, Ball State tight end Tanner Koziol and Tulane defensive lineman Parker Petersen. With Petersen, he fills an important position of need on the Badgers’ 2025 roster.

Related: Tracking Wisconsin football’s transfer portal offers, interests and commitments

Walker entered the portal after four years at Western Michigan, two as a starter. His impressive 2023 and 2024 campaigns include 23 starts, 70 tackles (39 solo), 15 tackles for loss, eight sacks, nine pass deflections and one forced fumble.

Those are significant numbers from an interior defensive line position. His 2024 production of seven tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks would have led Wisconsin’s defense in each category. It has been well-documented how badly the Badgers’ 2024 unit struggled getting to the quarterback (No. 121 in the nation with 1.3 sacks per game). Walker’s addition is a big step toward fixing that reality in 2025.

He commits to the program with one year of eligibility remaining.

Walker and Petersen project to lead a Wisconsin defense line room that lost most of its production from the 2024 season. Veterans Ben Barten and Brandon Lane, plus underclassmen Jamel Howard and Dillan Johnson figure to play into that 2025 rotation.

Defensive line was arguably the program’s biggest portal need entering the offseason — next to a starting quarterback. Luke Fickell and his staff have done well in addressing it, highlighted by the addition of Walker.

For more on Wisconsin’s transfer commitments and interests, bookmark our transfer offer, visit and commitment tracker.

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Predicting what the first-team defense will look like for Texas Football

We’re just about two weeks away from the season opener!

While much of the hype surrounding the Texas football program has been around the new-look offense, the opposite side of the ball has a great opportunity to be one of the best defense’s in the Big 12 this season.

Pete Kwiatkowski is to the defense what Steve Sarkisian is to the offense, which is an absolute mastermind that could be in the discussion for the best in the country.

The Longhorns have struggled with consistency on the defensive side of the ball, and have also been one of the worst tackling teams in the nation for the past three seasons. Kwiatkowski is looking to eliminate both of those problems, and help Texas establish dominance on the defensive front.

Similar to the offense, the defensive side is experiencing some changes after losing key players like Joseph Ossai, Caden Sterns, and Ta’Quon Graham to the NFL this offseason.

They say defense wins championships, and nowadays, having a good defense is a premium in this very offensive style of play we are experiencing. Texas inherited a few transfers, along with returners from last season that can really help this team potentially return to the elite state.

Wednesday’s practice was open to the public and allowed for fans to see who was receiving first-team reps. Based off of what was seen in practice, let’s predict who will get the nod to start on the defensive side of the ball.

Keep in mind there are still a few close position battles, such as the nickel role between Anthony Cook and Jerrin Thompson.