Wisconsin football promotes Tuf Borland to inside linebackers coach
Wisconsin promotes Tuf Borland to inside linebackers coach after serving as an assistant. Borland will now oversee the Badgers’ linebacker room.
The University of Wisconsin football program has promoted one of its rising young assistants.
Tuf Borland has been named the Badgers’ inside linebackers coach, a move that reflects both his steady rise within the program and the trust he’s earned from defensive coordinator Mike Tressel.
Borland joined Luke Fickell’s staff in 2023 as a graduate assistant and quickly became a behind-the-scenes fixture in the linebackers room. Ahead of the 2025 season, he was elevated to assistant linebackers coach, a role that allowed him to take on more responsibility in recruiting and player development. Now, Borland steps into the full-time position overseeing the inside linebackers.
It’s a move that also helps streamline responsibilities on the defensive staff.
Tressel had previously carried the inside linebackers coaching title alongside his duties as defensive coordinator. With Borland now running the room day to day, Tressel can focus more on game planning and big-picture configuration of Wisconsin’s defense. The change was made possible by the NCAA’s decision to remove limits on the number of on-field assistant coaches, allowing college football programs to expand their staffs and distribute responsibilities more efficiently.
For Borland, the promotion continues a fast ascent that has been building since he arrived in Madison.
Before coaching, he was a decorated linebacker at Ohio State from 2016 to 2020. Borland became one of just two players in program history to serve as a three-time team captain, appearing in 49 games with 31 starts. He finished his career with 229 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks while helping the Buckeyes reach the College Football Playoff National Championship following the 2020 season. In that run, Borland earned Defensive MVP honors in Ohio State’s Sugar Bowl victory over Clemson.
That playing pedigree has translated well to the coaching side.
Borland played a meaningful role in the development of Wisconsin’s inside linebacker group last season, particularly with young standouts Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano. Both players flashed significant promise when called upon and now enter the upcoming season positioned to handle their first full year as starters in the middle of the Badgers’ defense.
There will be no shortage of competition around them.
Wisconsin returns several familiar faces in the room, including Thomas Heiberger, Aaron Witt, and Landon Gauthier. The staff also supplemented the position through the transfer portal, bringing in John John Kamara and Taylor Schaefer, while adding in-state freshman Ben Wenzel to the mix.
With Borland now officially leading the inside linebackers, the Badgers are betting that one of their youngest assistants can prepare and develop one of the defense’s most important position groups moving forward.
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Way to go Tuf! Thanks to Gary Anderson we didn’t to see you at Wisconsin