Wisconsin football linebacker turned fullback embracing new role on offense
Wisconsin football's Tyler Jansey is embracing a move from linebacker to a fullback/H‑back role, aiming to carve out a role in Jeff Grimes’ offense.
Sometimes it’s the subtle position changes that wind up paying dividends down the road, the kind that signal a coaching staff sees enough in a player to try his talents somewhere new in order to get him on the field. For Wisconsin football, that player might just be Tyler Jansey, a guy wired differently and willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win.
Jansey’s Wisconsin story started long before his first snap in Madison.
Coming out of Batavia High School (Ill.), he impressed former inside linebackers coach Bob Bostad so much at a camp that he earned an offer from the Badgers. Jansey committed early in the process and became the first pledge in Wisconsin’s 2023 recruiting class, back when Paul Chryst was still running the program and Jim Leonhard was the presumed heir.
He was rated a three‑star prospect according to the 247Sports Composite, checking in as the No. 861 player nationally and the No. 70 linebacker in his class. Fresh off a senior season in which Jansey piled up 128 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, four sacks, and even scored eight touchdowns at running back, he arrived as a player worth keeping tabs on.
Then the coaching carousel spun. Chryst was fired by athletic director Chris McIntosh, Leonhard was passed over, and Luke Fickell was hired. Jansey stuck with it, ready to earn his keep in a new defensive system.
The first two years didn’t bring much playing time. Jansey appeared in four games in 2023 and five in 2024, finishing with three total tackles (one solo). On special teams, his role was limited. Pro Football Focus credits him with seven total special‑teams snaps in 2024 (three on punt return vs. South Dakota, four on kick return vs. Minnesota) and six kick‑return snaps in 2023.
The stat line doesn’t jump off the page, but you don’t stick in a Big Ten program without bringing some value, and Jansey quietly did the dirty work in the limited opportunities he was given.
Meanwhile, the inside linebacker room kept evolving. Christian Alliegro and Tackett Curtis emerged as the expected full‑time starters. The Badgers hit the transfer portal for AntarronTurner to shore up depth. Talented true freshmen like Cooper Catalano and Mason Posa started looking like they might push for snaps sooner rather than later. Ultimately, the writing was on the wall, and it became clear that Jansey was going to have a difficult time cracking the defensive rotation in 2025.
That’s when the idea of a position change started to make sense.
Wisconsin needed depth behind Jackson Acker in Jeff Grimes’ revamped offense. Acker, a converted running back, is built perfectly for the fullback/H‑back role that Grimes wants to utilize. He's physical enough to lead block, athletic enough to catch passes when needed, and versatile enough to move around the formation. He’s also a freak athlete with rare versatility, having played running back and fullback, bringing impressive size and well above average speed for his weight. In many ways, Acker brings traits to the position you simply can’t replicate, which is why he’s expected to handle essentially all of the snaps there this season.
With little proven depth behind him, the door opened for Jansey to step in and see if he could carve out a role. With no one else locked into the spot behind Acker, Jansey has a unique opportunity to develop at the position and put himself in a position to compete for meaningful snaps next year.
Switching from linebacker to offense is no small thing. You’re learning a new playbook, new techniques, and an entirely new way of seeing the game. But if there’s one thing you hear over and over about Jansey, it’s that his motor doesn’t shut off. He's an old-school football player.
And if you ask tight ends coach Nate Letton, there’s one word that comes to mind when describing Jansey: "maniac."
“He’s got to learn this brand‑new thing. Offense, fullback, and everything he does is exactly to the standard of how we want our guys to do anything," Letton said at fall camp. "He’ll wear us out with questions, get himself prepared. We’re putting him out there partly because Nizyi Davis has a little knee issue right now, so with some of the three reps, he’s getting some tight end work. That’s not exactly where we see him, but he’s catching passes, throwing himself in on two‑back power. I really like having him in the room, and I think he’s a guy who can help us.”
That’s the thing about Jansey. You give him a challenge, and he attacks it head‑on. Letton’s description paints the picture: a guy peppering coaches with questions, absorbing every last detail, refusing to accept mediocrity.
Grimes’ offense, while still shotgun‑based, is a philosophical swing back toward what Wisconsin has traditionally been. More physicality. More downhill run game. More two‑back and tight end sets. The H‑back role is critical in that system to add multiplicity, acting as a lead blocker, pass protector, motion man, and occasional pass‑catcher. It requires toughness and a team‑first mindset. Jansey checks all three boxes.
It’s also a position where his defensive background could help.
Understanding run fits from a linebacker’s perspective could make him a smarter lead blocker. Knowing how defenders react to motion might help him set up better angles in the run game. And his special-teams work has already proven he’s willing to put his body on the line in traffic.
The timing couldn’t be better. With Acker entrenched as the starter but also handling plenty of workload, Jansey has a path to snaps in the future, which has opened up more opportunities in camp. And the reality is, in the grind of a Big Ten season, depth at fullback is going to matter.
This isn’t the story of a player switching positions because he failed at the old one. It’s the story of a player who looked at the Wisconsin Badgers roster, was honest about his standing in the linebacker room, saw where he could make the biggest impact, and dove in headfirst to help the team.
Standing at 6‑foot‑1, 234 pounds, there’s no questioning whether Jansey has the size, strength, or frame to play the position. He’s built like someone straight out of the movie 300. He might not pile up many counting stats or be the guy fans talk about after a win. But in an offense trying to re‑establish Wisconsin’s physical, run‑first identity, Jansey’s willingness to be that “maniac” at fullback puts him in a spot to potentially follow in the footsteps of countless former linebackers who made the switch, redefined their careers, and found real success. Could he be next?
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Jansey was a hell of a player for the Bulldogs and I expect nothing but the same for the Badgers.
Did he play O in high-school?