Key Wisconsin Badgers: No. 3 - Inside linebacker Jack Sanborn

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.

After announcing his decision to return in 2021, inside linebacker Jack Sanborn is back in the middle as the leader of Wisconsin's defense. A starter the previous two seasons, Sanborn, who represented the Badgers recently at Big Ten Media Days, led the team in tackles both years.

The former four-star recruit was a contributor as a freshman and has since taken a ton of reps throughout his career at UW. Having a grasp of the playbook and a wealth of experience, Sanborn will play a large role on the field and will also be one of the leaders, not only for the younger guys at inside linebacker but for the whole team.

"He definitely is a leader on this team. He's always been outstanding with the group and I think he learned that from the guys before him," position coach Bob Bostad told reporters in the spring. "We've always been a group that we're trying to help each other get better. It's not a hold onto your secrets type of outfit. We do a lot of that in our meetings and stuff like that, letting players answer questions."

Heading into his third year with the No. 1 defense, a grasp of the playbook and experience is far from an issue for Sanborn. As someone who will be tasked with making open field tackles, though, he'll have to improve on securing ball carriers. According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-2 and 235-pound linebacker led the team in missed tackles with nine last fall.

Sanborn also mentioned that he wanted to improve in pass coverage by putting himself in better position to make more game-changing plays. In a shortened seven-game season, he tallied just one sack, down from 5.5 sacks and three interceptions in 2019.

"I think there’s a lot of areas and one of them I’ve been trying to focus on a lot is just my pass coverage," Sanborn said. "I think my pass coverage has been pretty decent since I’ve been here, but just taking my pass coverage to another level where I can make plays on the ball and create game-changing plays like interceptions.

"I saw a few plays from last year in the shortened season where if I’d gotten a better break, had better eyes or did something better or saw a certain receiver, then I know something might be coming behind me. Stuff like that, I know I can get better and I think that’s an area where I can get better in order to help our defense even more."

Bostad made it known this spring that his philosophy as a coach is to play his best guys until he can't, which sets up for Sanborn and teammate Leo Chenal to once again take the bulk of the snaps on the inside. Sanborn's role off the field can't be understated either, with linebackers Maema Njongmeta, Jordan Turner and Tatum Grass in line to earn major reps next season.

Opting to return in 2021, Sanborn will be a leading contributor on the defensive side of the ball before likely entering the 2022 NFL Draft. Following in the footsteps of former teammate Chris Orr, Sanborn has taken over as a leader of the defense and will be asked to do so once again as a senior.