Wisconsin football X-factors: A deep dive into LB Tackett Curtis
The once highly-touted linebacker has had an uneven start to his career, from USC to Wisconsin. What's in store for the junior poised for his biggest role yet?
In Year 3 of the Luke Fickell era, Wisconsin football has a handful of players who are known quantities.
Yet a good chunk of the roster is comprised of players who are difficult to project for 2025. Whether they have yet to don the Cardinal and White or appear to have untapped potential, the Badgers have plenty of “X-Factors” slated for key roles this fall.
Our breakdowns of these players continue with junior linebacker Tackett Curtis.
Early USC Days
Curtis came to USC as one of the top-ranked linebackers in the nation. 247Sports had him as the 12th-ranked linebacker, while On3 had him at No. 6. Rivals went so far as to deem him the third-best linebacker in his class.
The Many, Louisiana native had 40-plus offers and could’ve played for almost any program in the country. Wisconsin’s Bobby April recruited him hard, and made it into his top three alongside USC and Ohio State. But April saw Curtis as an outside linebacker in the Badgers’ old 3-4 defense under Jim Leonhard, while the Trojans — and ultimately Curtis himself — saw him as an inside backer.
He signed with USC and instantly became a starter on an ailing Trojan defense that finished 94th nationally in points-per-game the season prior. This was the very first snap of his career:
*Note: Curtis wore #25 at USC and #4 at Wisconsin
Curtis’ freshman season was full of peaks and valleys, and the first play of his career epitomizes that perfectly. He gets past the right tackle with ease, but hits the wrong player — the quarterback pulled the ball out of the running back’s gut on the read option.
Still, the Trojans played him early and often in his first career game, and he made several plays throughout the afternoon that demonstrated why he deserved to be on the field as a true freshman starter.
Below, you’ll see him flash his speed, as he uses his lateral quickness to snuff out a wide receiver tunnel screen:
In his first ever game, Curtis made his sideline-to-sideline speed readily apparent. Notice San Jose State’s left guard, No. 71, hopelessly try to get out to him in space and throw a block.
That speed also served him well in certain pass-coverage situations against the Spartans. On the next play, watch Curtis smother the halfback running a wheel route, going stride for stride with a running back down the sideline:
Again, that’s an instance of the linebacker using his natural talent to make a mightily impressive play for a true freshman, especially considering he began that play lined up in the A-gap and had no problem getting out to cover the tailback down the sideline.
USC used Curtis in coverage on 151 snaps in 2023, per Pro Football Focus, and it was certainly a trial by fire. Because while his speed bailed him out of certain coverage situations like the one above, mental mistakes tended to pop up that would render his raw skill useless.
Below, Curtis thinks he’s in man coverage on San Jose’s running back, No. 32. When the running back sprints out to the flat, so does he. But you’ll see his fellow linebacker point out to him mid-play that he’s leaving his actual coverage assignment wide open. He lets a receiver cross his face, and allows a big gain:
Flashes special talent, glaring flaws
Curtis played 355 snaps as a freshman with the Trojans, playing the majority of some games while being used as a rotational linebacker in others. Despite not having a consistent role, Curtis found a way to continue to give the coaches reasons to put him on the field.
Throughout his tape, the linebacker’s sideline-to-sideline chase-down ability was his strongest attribute. His inherent speed allows him to cover ground quickly and get out in space, making plays in places normally reserved for defensive backs:
That’s Dylan Edwards he just chased down, by the way. You may not know much about the ex-Colorado, now-Kansas State tailback, but know this: he ran a 4.41 40-yard-dash in high school, and he’s been unofficially clocked in the 4.3 range as well. Curtis’ closing speed is something to behold.
Much like his ability to get to the other side of the field in the blink of an eye, many of the other plays Curtis made as a freshman were the result of his natural speed and athleticism. But there’s something else we should note about the linebacker, something we maybe should’ve led with: Curtis plays football like a madman.
When he steps onto the gridiron, he’s a man possessed. He recklessly throws his body around, never one to shy away from late and perhaps excessive contact. Below, against Nevada, he almost literally takes the head off a player, coming out of nowhere to lay a devastating blow:
Curtis’ ability to play through the whistle, along with his relentless motor, are more traits he displayed constantly, through both good and bad plays.
Still, the linebacker had a tendency to get a little overzealous sometimes. As a freshman, especially, he had a habit of letting motions and shifts influence him and take him out of the play. He would also overrun some plays, trying to fly in for a big hit only to miss what should’ve been a relatively straightforward tackle. Curtis was also the victim of overcommitting in pass coverage, especially against running backs much shiftier than himself. Below, he gets absolutely cooked by Utah’s tailback, who blows by Curtis with a Texas route, breaks his ankles in the open field and scores easily:
That was perhaps the worst play of his career to this point. He never stood a chance. His coaching staff in Los Angeles seemingly agreed, as he didn’t see the field again that game and didn’t return until late in the first quarter next week.
Highs, lows persist in Madison
Curtis transferred to Wisconsin after his freshman season, but was faced with a much muddier situation at inside linebacker upon arriving to Madison.