Season in Review: Linebackers

Wisconsin's 2016 football season is in the books, capping off a surprising 11-3 campaign with their win over No. 14 Western Michigan in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

Now BadgerBlitz.com takes a look back at the season that was, breaking down the bright spots and low points, with an eye on the future of the position as well.

How do you think Wisconsin's linebackers performed in 2016? Share your thoughts in the Badger's Den.

The Badgers knew early on that T.J. Watt was ready for a larger role in their defense and named him a starter in spring camp - but nobody saw his breakout season coming. Watt led the Big Ten in sacks and led the Badgers with 15.5 tackles for loss in his first, an ultimately only, season as a starting outside linebacker. He played well enough and improved his draft stock to the point where Watt decided to declare for the NFL Draft after his junior season. His 3.5 tackle for loss game against Michigan State stands out as one high point, along with his athletic pick-six from Wisconsin's game against Purdue.

Senior outside linebacker Vince Biegel elected to have surgery on his foot midway through the season, and although his recovery was relatively fast he still wasn't able to play in UW's biggest regular season games against Michigan and Ohio State. Biegel made the decision in order to avoid missing the rest of his season if his foot injury got worse, but it's hard not to wonder if one or both of those one-score games might have gone Wisconsin's way if he had been on the field.

-- Sophomore inside linebacker Chris Orr's 2016 season was very brief indeed. Orr tore his ACL on Wisconsin's first defensive play of the game, and missed the rest of the season to rehab the injury. He was still a vocal presence on the sideline for the Badgers throughout the season, but Badger fans will just have to wait and see what Orr does to follow up on a very strong freshman season in 2015.

-- Junior inside linebacker Jack Cichy also missed Wisconsin's final seven games after he was injured late in the first half of UW's win over Iowa. Cichy tore his pectoral muscle in his left shoulder but still finished the game against the Hawkeyes before undergoing season-ending surgery. He had been Wisconsin's leading tackler up to that point, but will be a leader on defense in 2017 when he is able to get back on the field after spring camp.

-- Give credit to Ryan Connelly for being there when the Badgers needed him, which ended up being a lot this season. Connelly finished the year No. 6 on the team in tackles after he became a starter for most of the season - he stepped in for Orr when he went down, and became a full-time starter after Cichy's injury. Connelly had a knack for what ended up being key tackles this season, too, and should be a big part of Wisconsin's defense in 2017, too.

-- Don't overlook the season T.J. Edwards had, either. Edwards missed Wisconsin's season opener while recovering from an offseason foot injury but still led the team in tackles with 89, and was second on the team in tackles for loss. He picked off three passes, too, including a big one in Wisconsin's bowl game against Western Michigan.

Leaving: Vince Biegel, T.J. Watt

Arriving: Andrew Van Ginkel, Izayah Green-May

Returning: Garret Dooley, Jack Cichy, Leon Jacobs, Ryan Connelly, TJ Edwards, Jake Whalen, Zack Baun, Nick Thomas, Griffin Grady, Chris Orr, Mason Stokke, Dallas Jeanty, Noah Burks, Christian Bell, Keldric Preston

The Badgers have a glut of talent returning at linebacker, even with T.J. Watt off to the NFL instead of returning to Madison for his senior season. Inside linebacker has a big log jam, with T.J. Edwards, Jack Cichy, Ryan Connelly, Leon Jacobs and Chris Orr all back for 2017. The Badgers might have to get a little creative when they try and find a way to get those guys on the field, but there's definitely depth to spare.

Outside linebacker will be interesting, though, since the Badgers have to replace two starters. Garret Dooley and Zack Baun were the listed backups in 2016, but they'll have to fend off a few other players to earn their own starting spots. Two players to watch are incoming JUCO recruit Andrew Van Ginkel and Alabama transfer Christian Bell. They have the talent to compete for playing time, and spring camp will give us a look at just how heated the position battles will be.

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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.