Wisconsin's 2022 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.

Everything on the defensive side of the ball will once again start up front with the consistent presence of Keeanu Benton. Heading into his fourth year with the program, the Janesville, Wis., product has played in 33 games with 24 starts. He is coming off a season in which he tallied career highs in sacks (2.5) and tackles for loss (5.0) en route to earning All-Big Ten second-team honors by the coaches.

This offseason, Benton welcomed the role of a leader in the room. Previously having led the strength and conditioning program, defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej has seen Benton's progression and been impressed with what he's seen from him as a veteran.

"He’s done a great job of taking the reins of the room and also carrying that over from the defense to the team," Kolodziej told reporters in the spring. "No. 1 he’s done it through example, he’s come in the way he’s worked, the way he’s attacked the offseason.

"When you turn on the tape, watch him at the point of attack, he’s technically sound. Not saying he’s perfect but he’s still working through that, but then the effort, the finish, running to the football, again really mastering all of the things that require no talent and really doing it at such a level that he can demand that of anyone else in the room. Impressive to see him grow physically but also in terms of vocally and earning the respect of his teammates through how he practices and puts it on tape."

The next step for the 6-foot-4, 315-pound lineman is to continue to hammer out the smaller details. Kolodziej mentioned that the two went through his tape from a season ago and found eight or nine instances where Wisconsin could have had a tackle for loss. For Benton, that emphasis has held true as he's honed in on running to the ball and ripping off blocks among other smaller details of the game.

For the first time in his career, Benton will be working with a new duo at inside linebacker. Given the importance of the defensive line to fill gaps and open up lanes for linebackers, the communication will have to be there between Benton and the linebackers. Before spring practices, Benton made the effort to meet with the inside linebackers, starting with Maema Njongmeta "just to tell him how I see things and him doing the same."

"Me, Leo and Jack, they played behind me for a while, so they know my tendencies and stuff like that. Even if it’s not textbook to fall off me and go make this play or whatever the case may be. I would show different plays where I would be in a predicament, too, to go the opposite way," Benton said of his sessions with Njongmeta. "Just knowing each others tendencies. It doesn’t have to be all be textbook as long as the gaps are filled."

On the field, Benton has already proven to be a dynamic playmaker along the front seven, and with another leap, would be one of the better defensive linemen in the country. Off the field, the veteran has become a leader on the team.

"He’s put himself in position to be a centerpiece and a focal point of how we want to attack, and our mindset with him is any one-on-one in the country he should win," Kolodziej said of Benton.

With a full knowledge of the playbook and an increased level of maturity, Benton has become one of the key guys on Jim Leonhard's unit. Opting to return for one more season in Madison before entering his name for the NFL Draft, Benton is adding a new attention to detail to his game.

"He’s probably come up to meet more in the winter and spring than he did all of last year," Kolodziej said of his offseason work. "Pretty much across the board in every area, whether that’s football, strength and conditioning, post recovery, the guy is really raising the bar."

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