Tag: Maema Njongmeta

Badgers will look to extend Big Ten longest bowl streak

Can Badgers go to a 22nd straight bowl game?

The 2023 Badgers football team is one of the most exciting in recent history and they will look to extend their consecutive bowl game streak to 22 years. Wisconsin has made 21 straight bowl appearances, which is the longest such streak in the Big Ten.

Only Georgia (26) and Oklahoma (24) has longer streaks in college football while Luke Fickell himself made five straight bowl games to finish his six-year run as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Headlined by stars like running back Braelon Allen and linebacker Maema Njongmeta, the Badgers seem poised to be in yet another bowl game at the end of this season.

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Nine Badgers are on preseason Senior Bowl watch list

Nine Badgers on Senior Bowl watch list

The upcoming Badgers football season is one of great anticipation and some of the veteran players are on the Senior Bowl watch list coming out of the preseason.

Some of those listed are returning Wisconsin athletes like wide receiver Chimere Dike and linebacker Maema Njongmeta while others like SMU transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai and Boston College transfer cornerback Jason Maitre are also included.

Head coach Luke Fickell will be in charge for his first full season in Madison and he appears to have a plethora of experienced athletes leading both sides of the ball.

We’ll see how many of these guys end up playing in the Senior Bowl.

A Wisconsin starting ILB is one of PFF’s ‘Defensive Breakout Candidates’

High praise for Wisconsin’s starter:

Wisconsin starting linebacker and defensive leader Maema Njongmeta was named a defensive breakout candidate by ProFootballFocus this weekend.

All in Madison, including myself, expect big things from Njongmeta in his second year starting for the Badgers. But the company PFF included him in is the impressive note here. He’s listed alongside Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams and cornerback Kamari Lassiter, and Alabama safety Caleb Downs.

If you’re at all tuned into national college football talk, those other three names are consistently discussed as some of the nation’s best up-and-coming players.

Njongmeta’s inclusion isn’t a total surprise, as the Wisconsin linebacker did lead the team in tackles last year with 95. One thing to remember: Njongmeta had surgery on a hand injury recently and is forced to play through the ailment with a club on his right arm.

If I return here in January and say the Wisconsin starter had as impressive a season as Williams, Lassiter and Downs, things likely went really well for the Badgers.

A Wisconsin linebacker named one of PFF’s ‘breakout candidates’ for 2023

A Wisconsin linebacker named one of PFF’s ‘breakout candidates’ for 2023

Wisconsin’s defense, as is the case year in and year out given the talent on that side of the football moving on to the next level, will be asking certain players to step forward into larger roles.

With the loss of players like Nick Herbig and Keeanu Benton, both of whom who ironically ended up with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Luke Fickell and a brand new staff will need players to rise up around the unit.

One of those breakout candidates is Maema Njongmeta, who the Badgers are expecting to be one of the defensive leaders. Coming off of a third-team All-Big Ten campaign in 2022, the rising senior put up 53 tackles and had an interception last season.

Pro Football Focus sees him as one of the breakout candidates on the defensive side, alongside a pair of Georgia Bulldogs and a member of the Alabama defense:

Wisconsin LB Maema Njongmeta named to another watch list

Wisconsin LB Maema Njongmeta named to another watch list

Wisconsin linebacker Maema Njongmeta has been receiving a number of well-deserved preseason honors. The latest was the Rotary Lombardi Award, an award that was made to honor the values and spirit of legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi.

The Lombardi award goes to a lineman, either on the offensive or defensive side of the ball.

No Wisconsin player has ever taken home the Lombardi award. Njongmeta was also named to the Butkus Award watch list earlier this offseason. Last season, he was a third-team All-Big Ten performer and Academic All-Big Ten selection.

He made 11 starts at linebacker in 2022, while playing in 13 games. The rising senior led Wisconsin in tackles with 95.

Badger Countdown: Wisconsin D holds opponents to 20 PPG in 2022

Can the defense repeat their success in 2023?

The 2023 college football season is almost on us and the Badgers are now 20 days from their season opener against Buffalo on Sept. 2 at home. With Luke Fickell taking over, many have wondered if Wisconsin’s identity will change and in turn, if their defense will remain as good following Jim Leonhard’s departure.

Wisconsin’s defense allowed 20.2 points per game last season, ranking 17th in the entire nation. That was with defensive coordinator and eventual interim head coach Jim Leonhard at the helm.

Now with Fickell and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel coming over from Cincinnati, they’ll have to maintain the team’s defensive reputation. The two men produced some very strong results with the Bearcats and in 2022, their defense allowed 20.6 points per game.

With players like Maema Njongmeta and Jordan Turner leading the defense in Madison, they should have no trouble continuing their success in 2023.

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Wisconsin starting ILB makes Butkus Award watch list

More watch list news:

Wisconsin starting inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta has been in the news twice this week. First, reports broke that he had surgery on a recent hand injury and will be forced to play with a club.

Now, the Badgers’ defensive leader has made the watch list for the Butkus Award for the best linebacker in college football.

The award, which has been given out since 1985, has never been won by a Wisconsin linebacker. Notable recent winners include Iowa’s Jack Campbell, Georgia’s Nakobe Dean, Georgia’s Roquon Smith, Alabama’s Reuben Foster, Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith and Manti Te’o and Boston College’s Luke Kuechly.

Njongmeta returns to lead a Mike Tressel defense at Wisconsin that emphasizes linebacker play. Expectations should have him besting his 95-tackle, 12.5-tackle-for-loss, 3.5-sack and one-interception 2022 campaign.

WATCH: Big Ten analyst has Badgers linebacker in his top 30

Badgers linebacker is considered one of the best overall athletes in the Big Ten

The official start of the Luke Fickell era is closing in and one of his defensive athletes was ranked in the top 30 Big Ten players by analyst Jake Butt. The former Michigan tight end has linebacker Maema Njongmeta as his 24th ranked overall athlete in the conference.

Njongmeta led Wisconsin with 95 total tackles, including 3.5 sacks, over 13 contests in 2022. He’s expected to be one of their defensive leaders again this year in a new scheme under Mike Tressel.

The linebacker is currently sidelined following surgery on his right hand, but he’s expected to be back at practice soon.

Njongmeta and the Badgers are set to start their 2023 campaign Sept. 2 at home against Buffalo.

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Wisconsin starting linebacker, defensive leader dealing with a hand injury

Tough news for the 2023 Wisconsin Badgers broke last night. Several Badger media members reported starting inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta

Tough news for the 2023 Wisconsin Badgers broke last night. Several Badger media members reported starting inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta injured his hand and had surgery on it this week.

Njongmeta led Wisconsin in tackles last season with 95, in addition to 12.5 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks and one interception. He projects to be the Badgers’ leader again at the position in Mike Tressel’s first year as defensive coordinator.

Wisconsin is talented at the position this season with Njongmeta, Jordan Turner and Jake Chaney. Much of early practice talk points towards some three-inside-linebacker packages with Chaney roving and attacking the quarterback. None of that works without Njongmeta in the middle, however.

The specific timeline of the injury is not yet known. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jeff Potrykus gave several updates last night on the situation:

The Zone’s Zach Heilprin also added an image of the starting linebacker in a sling at practice:

This is tough news for a Wisconsin team with a lot of momentum entering the season. Luckily for Njongmeta and the team, Wisconsin does not have an important game until it visits Purdue in Week 4.

Hopefully the starting linebacker will be healthy, or at least healthy enough, when Big Ten play comes around.

A Wisconsin inside linebacker named to the Bronco Nagurski Trophy watch list

Some national recognition for a Wisconsin linebacker:

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:

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.