MADISON - Following the conclusion of fall camp, BadgerBlitz.com will take a look at each position group and where they stand with the final phase of the offseason wrapping up.

We'll continue our defensive overviews with a look at the inside linebackers.

Experience: A season ago, Wisconsin's inside linebackers were undoubtably talented, but they were largely inexperienced. The top group of Maema Njongmeta, Jordan Turner and Jake Chaney had a combined total of 82 career snaps before last year. Now, they're battle tested and ready to improve on what was a solid season.

“I think the consistency, knowing what I need to work on after practice," Njongmeta said when asked where he's improved from last year to now. "This year, my approach to practice, my approach to watching film after practice. How I’m taking coaches’ feedback, what I’m doing with my notes. The approach has gotten so much better.”

Njongmeta, Turner and to a lesser extent Chaney were thrown into the fire that is Big Ten football last season with very little experience. Now, they've been around the track once before, and the experience they've gained in a year should help them elevate their game from solid Big Ten linebackers to elite defenders.

Tatum Grass: It's hard to put Grass here, because it's not a knock on his play. The fifth-year senior has performed well in practice, and was particularly problematic for the offense at the last session open to reporters.

Grass' inclusion in this section is simply a reflection of the playing time he figures to see. The linebacker logged a career-high 141 snaps in 2022 after logging 63 the year prior. However, it doesn't seem likely that Grass will top, or even match, his 141 snaps from a season ago. The Badgers' top three are simply on a different level than Grass. He'll still be used situationally, but after losing out on a starting gig last season, he wasn't given much of a chance at one this time around.

How long will Njongmeta wear a club? For a group that's pretty solidified, this far-from-pressing item is the biggest question right now for the inside linebackers. Njongmeta says he's not sure how long the club on his right hand will stay on.

"Time will tell," he said. “It’s some adversity. I think it’s making me better as a player. I’m using my feet a little bit more. So I’ve just been rolling with it.”

The club doesn't seem to be affecting Njongmeta's play, and he doesn't appear to be bothered by it all that much. Still, full strength for a player that's projected to be one of the better inside linebackers in the country is obviously ideal.

At this stage in the 2024 cycle, Wisconsin appears likely to take just one inside linebacker: in-state talent Landon Gauthier. The Bay Port product wound up choosing the Badgers over Stanford.

Wisconsin is rather top-heavy at inside linebacker, but another way to look at it is that they have plenty of young players waiting their turn behind talented starters. Freshman Tyler Jansey, Redshirt Freshman Aidan Vaughan, Redshirt Sophomore Bryan Sanborn and Redshirt Sophomore Garrison Solliday await Gauthier when he gets to campus. Chaney, a junior, is likely to return, and Turner could also elect to run it back in 2024.

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