A healthy Thomas Heiberger gives Wisconsin football more options on defense
After injuries slowed his first two seasons, Wisconsin linebacker Thomas Heiberger is healthy and competing for a larger role in 2026.
Thomas Heiberger has spent much of his first two seasons with the Wisconsin football program waiting for his body to cooperate. Now the Badgers are getting an opportunity to see what he can do when it does.
Heiberger arrived in Madison as an intriguing developmental prospect in Luke Fickell’s 2024 recruiting class. The Sioux Falls (S.D.) Jefferson product had the frame and athleticism Wisconsin believed could eventually translate as an edge rusher, and the staff considered playing him as a true freshman before a lower-body injury derailed those plans.
His path has changed since then.
Heiberger has moved to inside linebacker, where the 6-foot-4, 230-pound redshirt sophomore is now competing for snaps in one of Wisconsin’s deeper position groups. More importantly, four practices into fall camp, he’s finally feeling healthy.
“It feels good so far,” Heiberger told reporters. “To be through four days now, it’s probably as good as I’ve felt in a long time. And putting together four straight so far has been good for me, and I’m excited to see where the next few weeks and months go for me.”
Getting to this point hasn’t been easy.
Heiberger appeared in 11 games for the Badgers last season and made three starts, but injuries continued to limit him. He logged only 95 defensive snaps, finishing with seven tackles and two pressures while beginning to show what he could provide down the stretch.
According to Pro FFF, Heiberger finished with a 65.6 overall defensive grade. His best work came as a pass rusher, where he earned a 73.2 grade, while posting a 64.7 run-defense grade and a 61.9 in coverage.
Tackling was less consistent. Heiberger earned a 41.6 grade in that area and missed 18.2% of his attempts. The sample was small, but there were enough flashes for Wisconsin to continue developing him inside.
“I was kind of battling through some things injury-wise in the season and really wasn’t feeling like 100% myself,” Heiberger said. “But then to be able to get out there on the field and kind of continue to build confidence and start to feel 100% was really big for me.”
Another setback followed during spring practice. Heiberger responded by spending much of the summer working with Wisconsin’s training staff and developing a daily routine to keep his body healthy.
Now he’s trying to turn availability into opportunity.
Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano have established themselves as two of Wisconsin’s most important young defenders. At the same time, Kansas transfer Jon Jon Kamara has positioned himself for a notable role and gives the Badgers another athletic option. Wisconsin also expects to have opportunities to deploy three inside linebackers together.
That leaves Heiberger firmly in the mix for snaps, particularly because inside linebackers coach Tuf Borland trusts him at multiple spots.
“I’ve been excited kind of bouncing back and forth between Mike and Will so far in the fall,” Heiberger said. “Really been feeling comfortable now, kind of being in the room for what it’s been almost like a year and a half now.
“I’ve had a lot of practice under my belt, and I’m excited for that role to just be able to bounce around wherever they need me.”
That versatility could ultimately become Heiberger’s path onto the field.
Borland has praised his ability to handle multiple responsibilities and recently said Heiberger continues to earn the coaching staff’s trust.
“He’s had a great camp so far. Credit to him,” Borland said. “He’s faced some adversity throughout his career to this point, battled through some injuries, and he just keeps coming back. He’s continued to earn trust, providing versatility to the room, playing multiple spots and doing a really good job at it. We’re excited about him.”
This staff has also spoken about how important having a healthy Heiberger could be for keeping Wisconsin’s rotation fresh.
Heiberger doesn’t need to become a focal point of the room for his presence to matter. After spending much of his first two seasons navigating injuries, simply being healthy enough to compete consistently gives Wisconsin another long, athletic linebacker you can plug and play.
That depth could also give Fickell and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel the personnel flexibility to lean more heavily into the 3-3-5 principles they used together at Cincinnati, particularly with players like Posa, Catalano, Kamara and Heiberger offering different skill sets at linebacker.
For Heiberger, that’s an opportunity he’s been waiting a long time to have.
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