Could Mason Reiger Be the Cure for Wisconsin's Pass Rush Woes?

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — Matt Mitchell didn’t sugarcoat it. When it came to creating a consistent pass rush and making tackles behind the line of scrimmage in 2024, the Wisconsin outside linebackers coach had one thing to say.

“It was bad. It was really bad.”

Last season, the Badgers were dead last in tackles for loss per game (3.5) and No. 120 out of 133 FBS teams in sacks per game (1.3).

Enter Mason Reiger.

There are plenty of reasons to be more bullish on the Wisconsin pass rush and their ability to create negative plays this season — of course, it can’t really get worse — but Reiger is a big reason why the Badgers are buzzing about their front seven in fall camp.

“He’s had an outstanding camp so far,” Mitchell told reporters following Friday’s practice. “He’s a great football player, has an unbelievable feel. He’s been the most productive guy out of camp in my room.”

From Walk-On to Star Player?

A former walk-on at Louisville, Reiger was originally going to sign with a Division 2 program before opting to bet on himself.

It’s safe to say that bet has paid off.

Appearing in nine games and recording a pair of sacks as a redshirt freshman in 2021, Reiger was put on scholarship the following season. In 2022, Reiger would play all 13 games at defensive end for the Cardinals, tallying 7.0 tackles for loss. Next season, Reiger broke out. In 10 contests, Reiger finished with 22.0 tackles and 5.0 sacks, including 4.0 tackles and 2.0 sacks in a win over top-10 ranked Notre Dame, going toe-to-toe with eventual first-round pick Joe Alt, now with the Los Angeles Chargers. Reiger also notched 5.0 tackles against Florida State in the ACC Championship Game.

Most walk-ons generally carry a chip on their shoulder. Some were overlooked coming out of high school and felt they should have been recruited harder. Others had all the talent, but not the physical traits, or vice versa. Reiger’s chip, however, it got there, still hasn’t faded — and don’t count on it doing so anytime soon. Even though he’s been on scholarship for four seasons, Reiger still wears a t-shirt that says, ‘Walk-On Mentality.’

“That mentality is something that has carried me to be the player that I am still to this day,” Reiger said. “Those, those little mindsets and decisions that I make — It’s really not even just about being a walk-on. It’s the type of person you are and the way you carry yourself. You make those decisions every single day — how you’re going to be, how you’re going to attack everything that you do. And I think just the phrase ‘walk on mentality’ is a great representation of that.”

Reiger was the first player to commit to head coach Luke Fickell and Wisconsin out of the transfer portal this offseason. He chose the Badgers over Georgia Tech, Minnesota, Washington, and Indiana. A three-star transfer prospect per On3, Reiger cited Mitchell and Fickell’s energy in his recruitment, playing in front of 80,000 fans at Camp Randall Stadium, and the defensive scheme as his main reasons for picking UW.

There was another cause as well.

Joining a program with a rich walk-on tradition, Reiger fits right in with the blue-collar, dirt-under-the-fingernails mindset that helped make Wisconsin the program that it is. Outside UW’s locker room is a wall that honors the former great, Badger walk-ons, including J.J. Watt and Jim Leonhard. Currently at UW-Platteville for fall camp, Reiger hasn’t seen that wall lately, but it’s a spot he often stops at to soak in — even though he’s never technically been a walk-on for the Badgers.

“Part of me wishes I could be on that wall,” he said.

Reiger Back From Injury and Better Than Ever

Uphill battles have been part of Reiger’s story, and he was faced with another this spring. Coming off knee surgery that forced him to miss the entire 2024 campaign, Reiger sat out of spring ball as he struggled with his rehab. Reiger’s leg wasn’t feeling 100 percent for spring practice and doctors opted to put a metal rod in his shin.

The mental part of rehab can often be more challenging than the physical. It’s one thing to feel 100 percent, but actually trusting the knee to hold up is a process of its own. Reiger made it his mission that once he was cleared to return to football, there was no holding back.

“It was just like getting myself to a point where I was going to be fully confident the second my cleats had hit the turf,” he said.

And Reiger let it loose on day one.

“Mason Reiger brings a different energy,” said Fickell. “He came here injured and really didn’t go through spring ball. We tried to be smart to get him healthy before we started to evaluate him or put him in situations. I think our people have done a great job. I think Matt and the training crew and the doctors have done an unbelievable job at being smart with him.

“Guys like Mason, you’ve got to save them from themselves, because they know one speed. Our ability to continue to give him what he needs to be ready, but not overdo it out here, because in five or six days, he’s already shown us he can give us something that’s maybe even more than what you see on the field.

“There’s an energy that’s contagious.”

Reiger Leading a Revamped Defensive Front

Part of a bigger, longer, and more physical front seven for Wisconsin, Reiger is one of four new transfer additions to Mitchell’s room, joining Tyreese Fearbry (6-4, 250), Corey Walker (6-5, 290), and Micheal Garner (6-7, 300).

“I honestly love our defense,” he said. “I think we’re playing with great energy every single day of fall camp. Everything we can do as a defense is something I’m really excited for, and I think fans should be as well, because I think our defense is going to be something to look forward to.”

Able to stand up off the edge or play with his hand in the dirt, Reiger has been giving Wisconsin’s offensive tackles fits throughout fall camp. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound senior had one play in particular where he blew up a lead blocker and proceeded to force a fumble in the backfield. A player with a relentless motor, Reiger has also displayed an explosive get-off and the ability to get the edge, beating linemen with power or speed.

“He’s made a lot of plays in the backfield,” said senior safety Austin Brown. “That’s something that really excites us. It’s something we missed the past few years, really since Nick Herbig graduated. To have his presence here…it’s been fun to watch. He brings good energy.”

In 2024, both Elijah Hills and Christian Alliegro led the team with 3.0 sacks apiece. As a unit, the Wisconsin outside linebackers combined for just 6.5 sacks, with John Pius leading the way (2.5). Itching to build off his 5.0 sack season as a junior, Reiger believes the best version of himself will be on display this fall.

“I’m the best athletically and physically that I’ve been,” said Reiger. “I’m as good as I can be right now.”