Now that all the preseason award watch-lists have been finalized, it's time to compile all the Badgers who made these lists. For Wisconsin, there are only three Badgers who made it, but those three represent five different awards. It's not surprising that Wisconsin is underrepresented; the Badgers are coming off a very disappointing last season and have yet to change the national narrative.
Butkus Award - Mason Posa
An award named after Dick Butkus for the best linebacker in college football. Posa was a sensation last year as a true freshman, and as a sophomore, he's already showing up on the preseason watch list for this award. That's a big honor and can't be understated for the young Badger linebacker.
Last year's winner was Jacob Rodriguez from Texas Tech who had 128 tackles, seven forced fumbles, four interceptions, and one sack.
Related: Luke Fickell finally has Wisconsin at No. 1 in a category that made the Badgers famous
Bednarik Award - Mason Posa
Posa finds himself on Bednarik's preseason watchlist for the top defensive player in college football. Once again, it was Rodriguez from Texas Tech who won this award last season. However, unlike the Butkus Award, this isn't just for linebackers, but for the top defensive player. So the list gets longer and has more preseason players to watch. It's another big honor to find Posa's name on this list.
Manning Award — Colton Joseph
The fact that Joseph is on this list is awesome to see because there are only 40 quarterbacks chosen to be on the preseason watchlist for the best collegiate quarterback. This means that the Manning Award committee sees Joseph as one of the top 40 quarterbacks in the country.
The last Wisconsin quarterback to even be a finalist on this list was Russell Wilson in 2011. Joseph isn't to that point yet, but starting the year with plenty of eyes on him and his production.
It was Fernando Mendoza who won this award in 2025.
Wuerffel Trophy — Chris Brooks Jr.
This is a cool award to win, as it's for what you bring back to your community and how you contribute in the classroom. According to the Wuerffel Watchlist, "The award honors Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) players who lead through community service while excelling in the classroom and on the field."
This is less of a watchlist and more of a nomination list. There were 113 nominees, and one of those will win the award in 2026. It was the University of Texas defensive back Michael Taaffe who won in 2025.
AFCA Good Works Team — Chris Brooks Jr.
In a similar vein, Brooks was also a nominee for the AFCA Good Works Team award. This award is similar to the Wuerffel Trophy, but the slight wrinkle of a difference is that this award goes to a "team " of players. 22 different people will be named to this team, and thus, it allows more of the collegiate athletes who are doing good things beyond the football field to be recognized.
The same list is used for the Good Works Team Awards as the Wuerffel, and the same committee works out the finalists and the award winners.
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