The Wisconsin Badgers were able to get a high motor linebacker transfer out of the portal in the offseason, and yet defensive coordinator Mike Tressel says it will be a challenge for Antarron Turner to crack the rotation.
Turner made a big jump from the Southern Conference to the Big Ten, but he was exceptional at Western Carolina. In his redshirt sophomore year, he made 61 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and even two pass breakups. Yet, the Big Ten is an entirely different animal.
The linebacker position is stacked for the Wisconsin Badgers
Though Coach Tressel said that's not the reason he has a big challenge in front of him, it's because of the "other dudes in the room." In other words, the talent is so deep in that linebacker room that it'll be tough for Turner to pass any of the other players also competing for the position.
"He's doing a good job. He's showing that he will be very physical...It's a challenge for him, not because of the level he came in at, but because of some of the dudes we have in that room. As long as he keeps his head up and keeps working, he's a physical kid, and he's in a good spot."Mike Tressel
Tressel did tell a story about Turner and how he dominated a special teams drill earlier that day in practice, saying he went exceptionally hard after it. He was impressed and wants to see more of that from him.
The linebacker room is one of the deepest rooms on the roster with veterans like Christian Alliegro, Sebastian Cheeks, Mason Reiger, and Tackett Curtis. It also has surprising freshmen additions like Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano. Those two have both impressed both coaches and reporters in camp.
There's also Thomas Heiberger, who is a redshirt freshman and looking to crack the rotation, which means that it will be tough for anyone, even former high-performing transfers like Turner, to find a way through and to the top of the competition.
This is a good problem to have for the Badgers and one that Mike Tressel will have to monitor by continuing to create a culture of healthy competition.