Senior Spotlight: Wisconsin Football’s Joe Schobert
By Jim Oxley
As Badger of Honor kicks off a series of profiles on the current seniors on the Wisconsin Badgers football team, what better player to start off with than outside linebacker Joe Schobert, who figures to be one of the top defenders in all of the Big Ten this season.
READ ALSO: Top Wisconsin Offensive Playmakers for 2015
A Wisconsin native, Schobert committed to the Badgers out of Waukesha West High School. His athleticism as a track and field and baseball star helped him fit perfectly into an outside linebacker role after playing running back and safety in high school.
Schobert is one of only three seniors on the team who did not take a redshirt season (kicker Jack Russell and cornerback T.J. Reynard are the other two).
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His freshman year saw him appear in five games — earning a varsity letter — and while he didn’t record a tackle in a game, his work off the field was noticed and rewarded with the team’s 2012 Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year Award.
In 2013 his role expanded, and he earned his first start while playing in 13 total games. He recorded 24 total tackles — 12 solo, 12 assisted — and added a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. He also recorded three passes defended.
The jump he made from the 2012-13 season was nothing compared to the leap he took in between 2013 and 2104.
Last season, Schobert was one of the best linebackers in the conference. He was a consensus honorable mention All Big Ten selection after posting big-time numbers and helping the Badgers have one of the best defensive units in the country.
Schobert started every game at outside backer and was fourth on the team in total tackles with 69 — 44 solo, 25 assisted. He had a knack for getting in the backfield, totaling 13.5 tackles for a loss (second-best on the team) and 3 sacks. He forced two fumbles, recovered one, and had 7 pass breakups (team high).
He came up he in the final game of the season, the Badgers overtime win in the Outback Bowl against Auburn. Schobert made all three tackles on Auburn’s final drive — two for a loss, one for no gain — forcing a 45-yard field goal that was missed, sealing the Wisconsin win.
To say the bar is set high for 2015 is an understatement. Schobert, along with fellow outside linebacker Vince Biegel, return as two of the more experienced players on a defense looking to continue the successes achieved a season ago.
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Schobert should continue to be one of the best linebackers in the league, and if last year was any indication, we should continue to see him in the opposing offense’s backfield all the time.
Getting into the backfield isn’t his only skill, as he has proven to be great against the pass.
His versatility should continue to pay huge dividends for the Badgers as he enters his senior season.
Stay tuned to Badger of Honor as we continue to take an in-depth look at all the seniors on the 2015 squad.
Next: Caputo Set to Lead Badgers Defense
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