Wisconsin ended its 2021 season on a winning note by clinging to a 20-13 win over Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 30. After a brief break, UW will kick up winter conditioning as it begins its early preparation for the 2022 campaign.

Over the next two weeks, BadgerBlitz.com will review each position before turning the page from the 2021 season. Monday brings a look at the inside linebackers, who shined due to the dominance of its two starting all-conference standouts.

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Junior Leo Chenal and senior Jack Sanborn evolved into arguably the nation's best inside linebacking duo. Chenal claimed first-team All-America honors by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and a second-team selection by the Associated Press and Walter Camp, this after tallying 115 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 11 games. He also was a consensus first-team, All-Big Ten pick.

Sanborn was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and a second-team nod by the media. He finished the regular season second on the team in tackles (91) and tackles for loss (16).

Wisconsin's defense ranked No. 1 in rush defense (64.8) and total defense (239.1), and No. 3 in third-down conversion defense (28.7%). The inside linebackers helped the front seven clog opponents' run games to 2.1 yards per carry, and foes only gained 100 or more yards four times in 2021.

Redshirt freshman Jordan Turner may have only played 24 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), but he recorded two interceptions and a tackle for loss this season. A very small sample size, of course, but he reportedly played seven snaps in the 2021 Las Vegas Bowl. The Michigan native recorded four tackles, including one for a seven-yard loss in meaningful game time.

A couple of conference losses come to mind. Those include Wisconsin allowing 38 points to eventual College Football Playoff contender Michigan, and the regular-season finale loss at Minnesota, where the defeat crushed UW's chances at a Big Ten West title and a conference championship game appearance.

However, like the defensive ends, this is another difficult position to pinpoint a low for the position group, specifically. In this case for the inside linebackers, their productivity overwhelmingly exceeds any areas of concern in 2021.

Chenal missed the first two games of the season due to a positive COVID-19 test, as he announced on his Instagram account prior to the loss against Penn State, but he shined thereafter.

Both starting inside linebackers are off to the NFL. Chenal and Sanborn combined for 206 tackles, 34.5 of them for loss, in 2021, and PFF credits them with 607 and 692 reps this past season, respectively. Just who will replace that production and continue the tradition of "Death Row?"

[writer's note: BadgerBlitz.com discussed this on our most recent podcast episode]

The player with the third-most snaps in Bob Bostad's room was sixth-year senior Mike Maskalunas (105), but he, too, will move on from Wisconsin. The departure of the Illinois native will be felt on special teams and as a reserve on defense.

The next trio that could emerge here include Turner, Tatum Grass and Maema Njongmeta. Grass, a walk-on, and Njongmeta combined to play 121 snaps during the 2021 season, according to PFF (63 and 58, respectively), and they will enter their fourth year in the program. The latter stood out during spring practices last April in being able to get into the backfield.

Turner's abilities shined, albeit during that aforementioned small sample size. For that matter, his one interception each during lopsided wins against Rutgers and Northwestern came with the game already in hand. BadgerBlitz.com spoke with him in November about those limited reps against the conference opponents.

Turner played less than 10 snaps against Arizona State during that Las Vegas Bowl, according to PFF, but again, he made tackles on more than half of his reported reps played.

When asked in mid-December about Turner and what he has done to earn the trust of defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard to get on the field, Chenal stated that he believes the rising third-year sophomore "is one of those guys that has a really mature sense of the game."

"Everybody respects him. He's not someone who's ever like messing around when it's time to be serious," Chenal told reporters on Dec. 14. "He's never doing the wrong thing. He's always doing the right thing, and he's making those big plays. He's making those big plays in games, which is the biggest part. Just that alone, being able to make the big plays in games is continual build of trust with the coaches."

The youth of the group intrigues, notably with true freshmen Jake Chaney and Jake Ratzlaff. Chaney playing in nine contests this season on special teams. Contributing in that phase of the game can help acclimate to the speed of college football, and he flashed during last April's open spring ball practices.

Chenal pointed to several factors in what Chaney has done to participate in enough games to burn his redshirt in 2021.

"He's one of those guys where, like, 'Alright, I want to watch him get on the field,' Chenal said. "I've seen how explosive he is. He's got a lot of twitch, even when he's had to step up for when guys are down. He's got to play scout team running back. Even at running back, you can see how twitchy he is playing for us. But I'm definitely excited to see him get on the field."

Ratzlaff's "great instincts," stand out, according to Chenal.

"He's just like Jordan. He shines in past coverage," Chenal said. "It was fall camp, he was getting a bunch of interceptions. Sometimes on the twos, maybe the ones sometimes.

"He's definitely a really instinctive player. He might not be the biggest right now or the strongest, but he's getting through those blocks as well and finding the ball. Again just really instinctive."

The position group also returns Bryan Sanborn and walk-ons Ross Gengler and Garrison Solliday to the room. Class of 2022 signee Aidan Vaughan, the former Air Force commit whose offer sheet blew up during his senior year, is expected to enroll in January.

Coaching-wise, Bostad has led the inside linebackers since returning to Wisconsin for the 2017 season. He has molded Chenal, Sanborn, Jack Cichy, T.J. Edwards, Chris Orr and Ryan Connelly.

However, offensive line coach Joe Rudolph officially left UW for Virginia Tech last week. Will head coach Paul Chryst consider looking internally to move Bostad back to mentor the offensive line as he successfully did from 2008-11, or will the assistant stay on defense?

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