Who has taken the biggest strides in the offseason on defense so far?

Wisconsin defensive lineman Charles Perkins (30) is shown during spring football practice Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Wisconsin Badgers have kicked off spring ball, with this week being off due to spring break. Reporters have gotten to see a couple of practices with the new-look team that has 45 new players and a number of projected starters.

With pads coming on soon, it’s still far too early to say how several position battles will play out, but there is a ton of competition at a lot of key positions. Running back, wide receiver, tight end, defensive line, cornerback, and safety all saw overhauls this offseason, with transfers being projected starters at every position. The defensive line group is especially new, as Wisconsin had to replace all of its top production with players in the transfer portal.

They do have some players coming back, such as Charles Perkins and Nolan Vils, who will look to have bigger roles in 2026, but it is a group that will have a lot of competition throughout the offseason. Who has taken the biggest strides so far this offseason? “Well, first of all, I got to say this, Perk (Charles Perkins) has, knock on wood, keep rolling, but he’s shown great strides,” Tressel.

“That’s really exciting to see. Also say (Nolan) Vils has taken great strides. So before you even get to the new guys, but when you get to the new guys, Junior (Poyser) is like the old man of the group.