Wisconsin's 2024 football season is right around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com ranked the top 30 players who we think will be the keys to success for Luke Fickell's squad this year.

Playing time, past performance and positional depth all factored into our staff rankings.

John Pius was one of Wisconsin's biggest gets in the winter transfer portal cycle. The former FCS All-American at William and Mary was ranked as a four-star prospect in the portal and the 145th best available player. After taking an official visit on Dec. 11, the outside backer committed several hours later.

"I wanted to play at a higher level and I felt like I could anywhere in the country," Pius told BadgerBlitz.com after his commitment. "Wisconsin took a chance on me and I feel like I can have the same production there. I also want to improve my draft stock on a bigger stage, and Wisconsin gives me that."

"Wisconsin has great academics as a school. And on the field, I'm able to play at the highest level in the Big Ten," Pius continued. "I felt like it was a no-brainer because of the interest they had in me. I felt welcomed there and I feel like I can make a big impact for them. It was just the best situation for me."

Pius decided to call Madison home for his final year of eligibility over offers from Cincinnati, Ball State, Coastal Carolina, Marshall and UConn.

Pius wasted absolutely no time putting his name in headlines upon his arrival. The pass-rusher was nothing short of ferocious at spring practice. He racked up sacks, pressures and hits from his spot on the edge, giving tackles Jack Nelson and Riley Mahlman all they could handle for the duration of spring camp.

“He’s very twitchy, very snappy. When he comes inside, whether it’s in the run game or pass-rush, he gets vertical in a hurry and creates a lot of disruption at the point of attack. Definitely pass-rush, he’s got arguably the best get-off of any of our outside linebackers right now, just in terms of get-off," outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell said this spring.

Overall, Pius looks like the best pure pass-rusher Wisconsin has at the moment. His 6-foot-4 frame allows him to bend into the backfield and win with length and leverage. Mitchell's point about him having the best get-off of any of the Badgers' outside linebackers speaks to both Pius' natural talent as a quarterback hunter and the impressive speed with which he's acclimated to Big Ten football.

Pius has also been transformed by Wisconsin's strength and conditioning program. In the middle of the spring, Mitchell said he was up to 248 pounds after coming in at 222.

“Shoutout coach Brady (Collins), our strength coach here. He’s definitely taken me and helped me put on this weight, add speed without gaining any fat, still being able to move the same was my biggest thing," Pius said. "And I think I’ve done that, I’m playing well right now with this weight on, so shoutout to the strength coaches, being able to put my in that situation."

One of the biggest keys to Pius' success this season will be how well he plays as an every-down backer. The pass-rushing savvy is readily apparent, but outside linebackers need to be versatile in Mike Tressel's defense.

“Here, they expect me to do a little more than I did at William and Mary," he said. "Dropping into coverage, going man-on-man on tight ends, doing more stunts and just being able to be comfortable in those types of roles is what they want me to do, and I think that’s been the biggest difference.”

Wisconsin's glaring lack of a pass-rush last season hurt the team in many ways. The two starters at outside linebacker last fall, Darryl Peterson and CJ Goetz, were both solid players. However, neither was a pass-rush specialist the way Pius is, and neither was 6-foot-4 with an innate twitch and burst off the line of scrimmage. That's exactly what the Badgers needed, and that's exactly what Pius brings to the table.

If Pius can play at even 80 percent of the level he played at this spring when the season rolls around, he should be one of the most exciting Badgers to watch and one of the better pass-rushers in the conference. That's just how electrifying he was in April.

Pius' natural ability as a quarterback hunter is something the Wisconsin outside linebacker room has lacked since it sent Nick Herbig to the NFL. He's aware of the tradition at the outside linebacker spot in Madison, and will look to add his name to a long list of notable Badger pass-rushers.

“There’s a lot of great players that have come from the outside linebacker room in Madison, and I felt that was a strong connection I had here. I wanted to be one of those players that come out of here and become a staple in Wisconsin. That’s my biggest thing, is just being able to build off that legacy as much as I can," Pius said.

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