Wisconsin freshmen linebackers Cooper Catalano, Mason Posa honored by Big Ten
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MADISON – It’s official, Wisconsin’s 13-10 victory over Washington on Nov. 8 was award-winning.
Badger freshmen linebackers Cooper Catalano and Mason Posa claimed defensive player and freshmen of the week honors from the Big Ten Conference on Monday, Nov. 10. It marks the first time multiple defensive players from the same team claimed Big Ten weekly honors in the same week since 2020.
Both performances put the players in exclusive company.
Cooper Catalano’s 19 tackles were most by a Badger since 2011
Catalano, a graduate of Germantown High School, was named defensive player of the week after recording 19 tackles that included two tackles for a loss and one sack.
That is the most tackles for a Power Four freshman since 2017 and the most for any Badger since Mike Taylor made 22 tackles in 2011. Catalano is also the first Big Ten player with 19 tackles and a sack since 2018.
A couple of other tidbits: Catalano is the first UW freshman to receive the honor since Chris Borland in 2009. The last Badger to receive defensive POW was safety Hunter Wohler in 2023.
Catalano ranks second on the team with 40 tackles despite not getting a lot snaps on defense during the first six games.
Mason Posa made two critical plays against Washington
Posa shared the freshman of week award with Nebraska quarterback TJ Lateef.
Posa made 11 tackles, 2 ½ sacks and two of the bigger plays of the game. His strip sack and fumble recovery gave the Badgers a first and goal at the 7 and led to the team’s only touchdown. He also recorded a sack on Washington’s final offensive play, a 1-yard loss on fourth and 6 from the Huskies 41.
Posa is the first FBS player this season with the combination of more than 10 tackles, two sacks plus a forced fumble and recovery at the Power Four level since 2020.
The game was also his second straight with at least 10 tackles. He finished with 13 tackles in a 21-7 loss to Oregon, his first start.
“They’re just doing a great job,” UW coach Luke Fickell said when asked about the two after the game Saturday. “They’re playing the game the way the game’s supposed to be played. I think they have that energy, they bring that energy.
“They have a communication side to them, too. There’s some natural, I don’t want to say alpha, but there’s some natural things that you don’t teach.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin freshmen LBs Cooper Catalano, Mason Posa honored by Big Ten
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