Mason Posa's latest recognition cements his case as one of football's best linebackers

Wisconsin's Mason Posa continues to prove that he is one of the best linebackers in the nation. He is a dominant force for the Badgers and has been a big part of the reason that Wisconsin has had tremendous success this season on the defensive side. His name continues to pop up all over the place, and the world is taking notice.

He's currently fifth in the Big Ten in solo tackles with 34 and tenth in total tackles with 52. And his run defense has put him on another tier (more on this in a minute). For now, it's important to note that Posa is now one of 15 players listed as semifinalists for the Butkus Award. The award is given to the top linebacker in the nation. He was on the pre-season list, but as the season has gone along, the list has been narrowed down.

Mason Posa is elite in many respects but his ability to stop the run, sets him apart

The award itself, being listed as one of the top linebackers and a semifinalist, is cool enough, but PFF recently noted that he is the highest-graded run defender among linebackers in college football this season. His PFF grade for run support is a 92.4. That's nearly perfect.

It came on the back of a game in which Wisconsin held USC to negative 17 yards rushing. Most of that was tackling the quarterback, but there were other big tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Posa had 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in this game. He was a wrecking ball.

One of the clips that's been making its way around the internet this week is when he is seen recognizing a run, sweeping all the way down the line, blowing through the hole made for a running back, and tackling the back in the backfield. His relentless pursuit, the recognizing of the gaps, and the ability to blow up the running lanes are what's helping Wisconsin tremendously this season. Watch the clip below:

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One of the best pieces of news about Posa is how committed he is to being a Badger. He's been very vocal about being a leader on this team, about putting the Badger program back on the map, and about making sure he does everything he can to find wins each and every week. He's called himself a Badger for life.

In an era of transfer portals and finding a quick buck elsewhere, Posa stands apart. And he's doing it alongside his best friend and roommate, Cooper Catalano, who actually leads the team in total tackles with 60. That's already higher than his last year's mark of 56. Remember, both of these players are only true sophomores in their second year of college.

Posa might go out and actually win the award and still have a couple more years as a Badger to become one of the all-time greats of a program loaded with elite history at linebacker.

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