The defensive line has quietly started to come together for the Badgers.
The Wisconsin Badgers had quite the overhaul this offseason in the transfer portal, bringing in nearly two dozen players to replace their departures, filling needs at several positions.
While there were several positions that saw players enter and exit, the one facing the most attrition is the defensive line. Wisconsin brought in a boatload of transfers to fuel their depth at the position, adding a variety of players with different body types, including Jay’Viar Suggs, Charles Perkins, Parker Petersen, Micheal Garner, Corey Walker, and Mason Reiger.
As spring ball has kicked off, the group has started to flash on several days, racking up sacks in the backfield while also being better against the run, and a sleeper is starting to emerge: Charles Perkins.
Coming in as a redshirt freshman from UT-Martin, it was unclear what role Perkins would have in 2024 among the large group of defensive linemen. But, through the first few weeks of spring, Perkins has been a regular contributor with the first and second-team defense, plugging up the middle as a bigger body.
His early production has caught the eye of head coach Luke Fickell, who expects him to be a key player for the Badgers up front in 2025.
“Perk (Charles Perkins) has got a great attitude,” Fickell said on Tuesday. “I think we saw that when he came in here for a short-stint visit for 24 hours. Just his humility, not just his love for the game, but his true want to be a part of something bigger than himself. That was pretty evident in the short amount of time that he was here in a visit.
“And since he’s been here, I think that there’s just one of those guys that’s just appreciative to everything that we’re doing. When we push him hard, he’s appreciative. When they provide things for him, he’s appreciative. I mean, more and more guys around us got to recognize that. And then that starts to show on the football field.
He’s continuing to grow. He’s getting himself into a better shape where he can play a little bit longer, and especially at the size that he is now. But we’re still trying to figure out for him. He’s still trying to figure out what’s the best, you know, size and things for him, because there’s an expectation to be able to play, you know, not just three, four, five, six snaps. He’s a guy that’s got to be able to help us with a lot of snaps this year.”
Wisconsin’s additions in the transfer portal have created depth in the defensive line room, which will allow for ample rotations on game day. But, the Badgers need more production from the room after struggling to finish on sacks in 2024 and not doing well enough against the run.
As an interior defender, Perkins could be a part of the key to that in 2025, and he’s emerging as a sleeper in spring ball.