What we heard from EJ Whitlow about Wisconsin football’s defensive line room
EJ Whitlow believes Wisconsin has the depth to rotate heavily up front, with Charles Perkins emerging as a leader of the defensive line.
The Wisconsin football program doesn’t appear interested in asking one or two defensive linemen to carry the workload in 2026.
Defensive line coach EJ Whitlow believes the Badgers finally have enough options to avoid doing that.
Charles Perkins and Hammond Russell have emerged at the top of the room during the early portion of fall camp. Even so, Wisconsin has built a rotation behind them that includes Buffalo transfer Junior Poyser, Nolan Vils, Dillan Johnson and Appalachian State transfer DeNigel Cooper.
For Whitlow, the names at the top matter, but the number of players he trusts might matter even more. Here were the biggest takeaways from his fall camp media availability.
Charles Perkins is becoming a leader Wisconsin can build around
Perkins had an opportunity to leave Wisconsin this offseason.
Instead, he returned, and Whitlow believes the redshirt senior has taken a meaningful step forward since deciding to stay put.
“I would say that’s the biggest thing with Perk right now is his leadership,” Whitlow said. “He’s done a heck of a job this offseason, this summer, of putting himself in position, taking care of the team, taking care of his body, getting stronger, getting bigger. And it’s really showing.
“He’s playing with an edge. He’s playing with aggressiveness right now, and he’s really leading that unit.”
Perkins appeared in eight games for Wisconsin last season, logging 73 defensive snaps and finishing with six tackles, two tackles for loss, and one pressure. He and Russell have since established themselves as the leading options up front, but they bring different personalities to the group.
Russell, a West Virginia transfer, gives Wisconsin an experienced veteran who Whitlow believes approaches the position like a professional. Perkins provides something different.
“Perk does a good job of bringing that emotional burst and energy that the unit needs,” Whitlow said.
That’s important to Whitlow, whose message to the room is pretty straightforward.
“Energy is contagious,” Whitlow said. “If you’re juiceless, you’re useless. So every single day, we make sure that we come out here with the right mindset, that we’ve got to have energy, we’ve got to fly around. I’ve got to feel you. I’ve got to feel that energy when we hit this turf.”
Wisconsin believes it has enough bodies to rotate
Whitlow said during spring practice that he wanted six defensive linemen he could trust.
That plan appears to be taking shape.
Poyser and Vils have positioned themselves among the next options behind Perkins and Russell, while Johnson and Cooper provide additional pieces Wisconsin expects to use.
“We know that one, two guys can’t go out there and play 50, 60 snaps,” Whitlow explained. “Not with the style of defense we want to play. We’re playing physical and straining and getting to the ball and effort. You need a committee to be able to do it.”
Cooper gives the rotation a particularly different skill set. The Appalachian State transfer finished last season with 23 tackles, 19 pressures, 12 stops, one tackle for loss and half a sack across 395 defensive snaps. After arriving undersized for the position, Whitlow said Cooper has added weight (277 pounds) and strength without sacrificing the quickness that made him productive in the first place.
“You got guys that are gonna beat you up and knock things back, and the next thing you know you throw that fastball in there, and it’s, ‘Whoa, he’s on you in a hurry,’” Whitlow said. “His skill set is a good value to the room.”
Johnson, a member of Luke Fickell’s 2024 recruiting class, has also taken a step entering his third season in the program. He appeared in 10 games and logged 139 defensive snaps last season, and Whitlow believes his improved confidence and understanding of the defense are allowing him to play considerably faster.
The larger point is that Wisconsin doesn’t want its defensive line rotation viewed traditionally.
“For me, I don’t view it as first, second, third,” Whitlow said. “It’s a unit. Because the standard is the standard.”
Wisconsin wants its depth to change how the defensive line plays
Having six or more playable defensive linemen only matters if Wisconsin can use that depth to play differently.
That’s what Whitlow is after.
The Badgers want their defensive front playing with enough physicality and effort that rotating becomes necessary rather than optional. If Perkins, Russell, Poyser, Vils and others can provide that without a meaningful drop-off, Wisconsin can keep fresher bodies on the field and ask each player to empty the tank during his opportunities.
“All these guys are going to have a piece in the pie,” Whitlow said. “They do a good job of holding each other to the standard, and there’s no drop-off regardless of what combination you have out there. And that’s what we’ve talked about from day one.”
That’s ultimately the encouraging part of Wisconsin’s defensive line entering 2026.
Perkins and Russell appear to have separated themselves at the top of the depth chart, but Whitlow doesn’t want this room defined by two players. He wants a committee capable of playing with the same physicality, effort, and standard regardless of who’s on the field.
For a position group that needed to replace several proven contributors, Wisconsin believes it has built enough depth to withstand those losses.
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