November 10, 2026 | Football
Sophomore LB duo earn prestigious recognition as season heads down the stretch
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin sophomore linebackers Cooper Catalano and Mason Posa were named Bednarik Award Semifinalists, announced by the Maxwell Football Club on Tuesday morning.
The Badger linebackers have established themselves as two of the best defensive players in the Big Ten this season. Catalano leads the conference with 90 tackles this season and Posa ranks 4th in the league with 73 takedowns. According to PFF, Posa and Catalano rank 1-2 in rush defense grades among Big Ten defenders.
Since their insertion into the UW starting lineup last October as true freshman, Catalano and Posa rank first and second among FBS tacklers across 14 regular season games. Catalano has posted 133 tackles over that span, while Posa has logged 123.
With two Badger LBs landing on the semifinalist list, Wisconsin joins Georgia as the only school represented by two semifinalists. Georgia LB Chris Cole and DB KJ Bolden both earned semifinalist status.
Posa and Catalano were two of 18 semifinalists, a list that included five players from the Big Ten. The pair are the first Badgers to be named as Bednarik semifinalists since John Torchio in 2022. The Badger backers join Zack Baun (2019) and Leo Chenal (2021) as UW linebackers to earn Bednarik semifinalist status over the last decade.
The Maxwell Football Club will reveal three Bednarik Award finalists on Nov. 24, 2026. The last Badger to be a Bednarik finalist was Erasmus James in 2004. A Wisconsin player has never won the Bednarik Award.
