2021 Wisconsin Fall Camp Preview: Dynamic duo at inside linebacker

In early August, Wisconsin will open fall camp in preparation for the 2021 season opener against Penn State.

You know what that means -- position previews.

Wisconsin has turned into a version of "Linebacker U" in the past few seasons. Badgers from both the inside and outside linebacker groups have gone on to play on Sundays. Joe Schobert, T.J. Watt, Vince Biegel, T.J. Edwards, Ryan Connelly, Andrew Van Ginkel and Zack Baun all find themselves competing on NFL rosters.

Looking at Bob Bostad's room in particular, UW appears to have two more who could soon make it professionally, and we will see just who continues to emerge as next up in the tradition of "Death Row."

Position-by position previews: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide receivers | Tight Ends/Fullbacks | Offensive line | Defensive line |

I feel like a broken record here talking about depth within the position groups, but Wisconsin should feel confident with its starters in the middle with Jack Sanborn and Leo Chenal as two playmaking inside linebackers. Sanborn has led the team in tackles the past two seasons (132 combined) and recently claimed preseason All-Big Ten honors during the conference's media days.

Chenal recorded three sacks in 2020, good for first on the team, while also tying for the team lead in tackles for loss (six, with outside linebacker Nick Herbig). He registered 46 tackles overall, and the duo should be among the conference's best at the position group if they continue their development trajectory.

Sanborn confirmed to BadgerBlitz.com that the position group is "definitely still Death Row," a nickname given years ago as detailed in our article during the 2019 season. He stated that they want to be one of the best inside linebacker units in the nation, and there is still work to do.

"I think that's a goal everyone has, but at the same time, we don't look at us as one of the best units in the country right now," Sanborn told BadgerBlitz.com during Big Ten Media Days last month. "Coach [Bob] Bostad does a great job at really making sure we all understand that, hey, we need to get better. When we look at things and we're like, 'This isn't good. This needs to change,' and it might just be something little, something tiny, but it means something. It's that little detail that can change the play or change the game, so I think he's been doing a great job with that, and making sure we all understand that we can get better and we will get better, and that will only help all of us to be one of the best units in the country.

"That is our goal, but at the same time, along with everyone being one of the best defenses in the country, and that's everyone on the defensive side of the ball, the coaches, I think everyone has that goal. But everyone knows that doesn't just happen, and that's the work that we put in the spring, the work we put in now, the work that'll be put in fall camp. Then we go out on Sept. 4, and we're ready to fly around, make plays, win football games and then continue that for 15 weeks."

Last October, Bostad -- now in his fifth season coaching UW linebackers -- told reporters he had three players in the inside linebacker room that he felt "rock solid about." This year could bear more fruit in the depth of this group, and spring practices appeared to show at least a couple more players showcasing steps taken to assure more game-ready Badgers.

"I think I've always felt good about the depth for the most part," Sanborn said. "I have a lot of belief in the guys that we have, and I've seen what they do. In practice, you're able to see what guys bring to the table. The guys make plays, and you're like, 'That's a good play.' Some plays I'm like, 'I don't know if I would have made that play, but that's a good play.'

"I've seen tape. I've seen all them go out there and make good plays. I believe in everyone."

Super-senior Mike Maskalunas comes back as a player who could play both spots in the room, in addition to being a key special teams contributor.

Maskalunas nursed a core injury during the spring but worked his way back into team periods in the 13th spring practice. That allowed third-year players Maema Njongmeta and Tatum Grass to receive extensive reps as the next duo up behind Sanborn and Chenal. Both appeared to look solid in those handful of sessions select media saw.

Njongmeta's play, in particular, stood out in April. He showcased an ability to find his way into the backfield and become a nuisance by creating pressure or disrupting plays in general. Bostad told reporters midway through camp that the Illinois native -- who went through health trials and tribulations in 2020 -- was "doing some really good things," and is "more comfortable."

Maskalunas, who went to the same high school as Njongmeta, believes he has become more mature. Sanborn told reporters on April 14 that Njongmeta -- who played just one game in 2020 -- was picking up the playbook and has "an ability to kind of just slip his way through traffic, which is kinda sometimes insane."

Njongmeta thought the biggest question about him between this year and last year was durability, when speaking with reporters on April 14, and he looked to the two standout starters as examples.

"Last year was a fluke, and now it's just how quickly can I learn everything," Njongmeta said. "I think I'm a quick processor. I think when I know what I want to do, I'm explosive and quick to the point of attack. Right now, it's just been trying to learn from guys like Leo and Jack, who've done it, done it more than just in spring ball. Who've done it in the Big Ten championship, who've done it in a bowl game, really guys who have a lot of playing experience, so just watching them and kind of starting to pick up practice habits from them."

Bostad told reporters during that same spring media availability that Grass, Njongmeta's roommate and in-state walk-on, "has some really higher-level physical traits," and the longtime UW assistant said that "it's just putting it all together."

"Being able to understand what we're doing out there on the field" Bostad said. "You know, if you're going to be an inside linebacker, you have to be vocal. You're making a lot of calls, you're making a lot of adjustments. He's gained my trust by doing those things.

"That's the starting point, and then after that, he's starting to be more productive out on the field, and he's playing more physical. He's playing more confident, and that's been a real positive in this camp so far."

Grass admitted in April that "kind of something I struggled with coming in was just getting that mental confidence really with the playbook."

"It was something that I really hadn't seen before," Grass said. "So it was just kind of transitioning into that college football, defensive system, and learning that playbook. And I think I've come a long way in really just gaining that confidence."

Behind those 'backers lie second-year players Jordan Turner and Ross Gengler, the latter a walk-on, along with, at the very least, true freshmen Jake Chaney and Bryan Sanborn. Chaney enrolled early at UW for the spring semester and participated in April practices.

It should be worth watching where Wisconsin places another first-year Badger, Jake Ratzlaff. The program listed the freshman, who claimed his home state's Mr. Football award by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association last year, just as a "linebacker" on its National Signing Day page without the inside or outside linebacker designation.