Badgers rising star named to Butkus Award preseason watchlist

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Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Mason Posa was named to the Butkus Award preseason watchlist on Thursday, only increasing the hype behind the rising star heading into his sophomore campaign.

The Butkus Award, named after Dick Butkus, is awarded to the top linebacker in the nation each season. The Badgers have never had a winner of the award.

Posa was a heralded recruit coming out of the 2025 class, with Wisconsin beating out recruiting stalwarts Oregon and Texas A&M. Despite coming to campus only in the summer, it was clear the linebacker was going to be able to make an impact as a freshman.

However, with Christian Alliegro and Tackett Curtis starting as established upperclassmen, Posa’s playing time was limited until the second half of the season, when an injury to Alliegro paved the way for him to break out. And boy did he.

Making his first career start against Oregon, Posa had 13 tackles, leading the team, while Cooper Catalano, who was also making his first career start, had eight. The following game, Posa was easily the biggest reason that Wisconsin upset Washington 13-10 at Camp Randall Stadium.

The star freshman had 11 tackles to go with 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. One of his sacks, a strip sack, led to Wisconsin getting the ball inside the 10-yard line, when they scored their only touchdown of the game. Another iced the game on Washington’s last drive on fourth down.

Starting the final five games, Posa had 50 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble for the Badgers, finishing the season with 58 tackles, four sacks, and two forced fumbles. He’s set to lead the defense as a sophomore in 2026 and is now on the watchlist for being the top linebacker in the country.

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