Wisconsin football LB Sebastian Cheeks just 'scratching the surface' at his natural position
Wisconsin may have found its next impact edge rusher in Sebastian Cheeks, who turned some heads at outside linebacker in the Badgers Week 1 shutout.
Every so often, a player shows enough growth to turn some heads within a crowded position room. For the University of Wisconsin football team, that player might be linebacker Sebastian Cheeks.
Cheeks’ career to this point hasn’t been a straight line. A former four-star recruit from Skokie, Illinois, Cheeks began his college journey at North Carolina before transferring to Madison. He appeared in three games as a true freshman in 2022 before an injury cut his season short. In 2023, he saw action in eight games but logged just one tackle. His first real taste of meaningful snaps came last year with Wisconsin, when out of necessity, the staff slid him from inside linebacker out to the edge during fall camp.
The results were encouraging.
Cheeks ended the 2024 season having played 123 total defensive snaps and posted solid Pro Football Focus marks: a 77.1 defensive grade, 76.8 run defense, 84.6 tackling, and a 69.1 pass-rushing grade. He generated eight total pressures and missed only 8.9% of his tackle attempts. For someone so new to the position, that hinted at some untapped potential.
Fast forward to 2025, and Cheeks looks like he’s found his home.
In Wisconsin’s season-opening win over Miami (OH), the redshirt junior played a team-high 31 snaps at outside linebacker, racking up four total tackles, three pressures, and a 74.5 defensive grade. More than the numbers, it was the relentlessness that stood out. He was disruptive, consistently collapsing the edge, was sound in his run fits, and looked every bit the part of a player ready to contribute to Mike Tressel’s defense.
Luke Fickell admitted he wasn’t surprised by the performance — he’s been watching Cheeks build toward this for quite some time.
“I was excited to see what Sebastian did Thursday night, because it was his first real opportunity to kind of do what he's done since Spring football and all through Fall camp… but I wasn’t surprised,” Fickell said. “I had seen this consistency. I had seen this nature, this knack for being able to rush the passer, but also this ability to be physical in the run, too.”
What makes Cheeks’ story all the more significant is the level of competition and depth in Wisconsin’s outside linebacker room.
Mason Reiger exploded onto the scene in Week 1 as expected. Darryl Peterson has been playing more with his hand in the dirt and was impactful, and guys like Tyreese Fearbry, Corey Walker, and even younger players are all pushing for time. This is a position group full of specialized skill sets, yet Cheeks still logged the most snaps. That says something.
Fickell was clear about why.