Top Five Surprise Players on the Wisconsin Defense

MADISON, Wis. — With fall camp on the horizon, Badger Blitz takes a close look at five players on the defensive side of the football who could surprise for Wisconsin during the 2025 season. Most of the position battles have been settled, but are there any Badgers ready to turn heads and raise eyebrows this fall?

Geimere Latimer Jr. – Cornerback

Latimer wasn’t the most hyped transfer of the off-season, but he is one of the most important additions. With Latimer holding down the nickel cornerback spot, Wisconsin doesn’t have to keep moving Austin Brown into the slot. Latimer comes over from Jacksonville State, where he appeared in 27 games over two seasons. As a sophomore, Latimer racked up 46.0 tackles, six pass breakups, and three interceptions, which ranked third in Conference USA.

“I love him. He’s a dawg,” said cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes. “When I say dawg, he is a Rottweiler with teeth. There’s a difference. There are some guys who are Rotweilers without teeth and that’s just a big dog. “That dude can go.”

Witn Nyzier Fourqurean losing his eligibility case against the NCAA on Wednesday, Latimer may be asked to move out to the perimeter.

Sebastian Cheeks – Outside Linebacker

Cheeks isn’t going to wow anybody with size or raw power off the edge, but he’s consistent and is maybe the most versatile outside linebacker on Wisconsin’s roster. Cheeks had some nice moments off the bench for the Badgers in 2024, tallying 2.0 sacks, which was one shy of the team lead. Cheeks is a tweener at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, but he was a big recruit with a national offer list. In fact, Paul Chryst and his staff wanted the former four-star prospect badly.

“He’s got a sick get-off. Puts a lot of pressure on tight ends and tackles,” said outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell. “You would be pleasantly surprised with his physicality for his size. Sebastian is really good at the point of attack in the run game. Down the stretch there, he was able to affect the quarterback. The Minnesota loss was unacceptable, but he was able to affect the quarterback.”

Mason Reiger – Edge Rusher

Reiger hasn’t taken the field since the 2023 season. Missing 2024 due to injury, Reiger was also out all spring, recovering from off-season surgery. Prior to his injury, Reiger enjoyed a breakout season at Louisville, recording 5.0 sacks during his junior campaign. A former walk-on who has worked his way up, Reiger brings a blue-collar, hard-hat, and lunch-pail attitude to the football field. We’ll see what fall camp holds, but Reiger should have every chance to contend for a starting job.

Micheal Garner – Edge Rusher

If Wisconsin generates more sacks and a more consistent pass rush in 2025, Garner probably has a hand in it. Don’t buy too much into his sophomore stats where Garner posted 14.0 tackles and 2.0 sacks. He was a late bloomer who came up as a basketball player in Chicago. Based on the spring, Garner is thriving at the edge rusher position, where he can stand up on the line or put his hand in the dirt. At 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds, Garner has a lot of things you can’t teach.

Dillan Johnson – Defensive Line

There have been major changes and additions along the defensive line. Johnson appeared to get a bit lost in the shuffle and fall behind the upperclassmen transfers. However, don’t forget this was an instant impact true freshman for Wisconsin in 2024. Pound-for-pound, Johnson is one of the strongest players the Badgers have. A former state champion wrestler, Johnson was a huge recruiting win for UW, who went hard after the former three-star prospect and flipped him from Northwestern. Mostly used near the goal line, Johnson had 7.0 tackles last season.

“He really dove in, focused on football, and put on the mass,” defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow said. “You can tell that it’s shown a tremendous amount. He’s about 310 and 312 pounds. Playing in that league, you need that size. He’s hard to move. He’s dense, strong…one of the strongest guys we’ve got, and it shows. Just excited about his growth and continued development.”