Key Wisconsin Badgers: No. 21 - Outside Linebacker Noah Burks

Wisconsin's 2021 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 Paul Chryst's squad this year.

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

In his sixth year with the program, Noah Burks has played a lot of meaningful snaps for Wisconsin. Burks, who started all seven games in 2020, has appeared in 42 contests - including 20 starts - during his career in Madison. He missed the start of spring practices but is in line to work in tandem with Nick Herbig for the majority of the reps at outside linebacker. Burks, 6-foot-2, 245 pounds, has developed into a stout run defender and a steady option for Bobby April's unit.

"Burks is a very smart guy. He's well-rounded," Herbig said this spring. "He's great at taking on run blocks, his technique is always picture perfect, he can drop into coverage, he makes plays like in the Mayo Bowl - he had that huge pick for us. I feel like he's always in the right place at the right time, always by the ball and I think he's a great teammate and a great leader... I think this year me and him are going to do a lot of big things together."

Following a year in which UW regularly received dynamic production from Zack Baun, the outside linebacker room, including Burks, failed to generate as many splash plays in 2020. The group totaled four sacks as a unit; no player recorded multiple sacks.

"I think one area where I want to improve is block releases and continuing to improve on my pass rush," Burks told reporters in the spring. "That's an area that's really important in our defense and that's something I want to keep working at every day to get better at."

"A big part of what we focus on is Noah's pass rush, his ability to impact the passer," April added. "It's been an area of focus for him and we both know that's an area that didn't show up as much for us last season, and it needs to be a factor this coming season."

Burks is primed for a key role once again this fall as he will likely see the majority of work alongside Herbig at outside linebacker. His continued growth could form a strong duo at the position, as Herbig has already shown flashes of brilliance and an ability to be a game changer.

Taking advantage of an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA, Burks will be in his sixth year at Wisconsin. With Herbig the lone other returning outside linebacker with meaningful game experience, Burks' role will carry from the field and into the locker room.

"From Noah, his leadership being an upperclassmen and being the leader in the room, I can go to him for anything I don't know or anything I have a question about." redshirt junior CJ Goetz said this spring. "Anyone in the room can go to Noah for any question they have."