The Associated Press end-of-season awards sparked some excitement for Wisconsin football fans as two Badger alumni, T.J. Watt and Zack Baun, earned nominations for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Their standout seasons (among several other players this year) continue to showcase the pipeline of talent developed in Madison.
T.J. Watt
T.J. Watt, a defensive superstar and perennial contender for DPOY, put up a dominant performance for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, boasting an impressive 61 tackles, 11.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss. He also had four pass deflections and six forced fumbles.
His ability to disrupt opposing offenses, whether as a pass rusher or in coverage, has easily reaffirmed his status as one of the league’s elite linebackers.
Watt’s nomination is his sixth in seven years, accompanied by his selection to the AP 2024 All-Pro 2nd team, as well as his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl nod. He remains a shining example of the many success stories sprouting from the University of Wisconsin football program.
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Zack Baun
Zack Baun had quite the path to the top compared to T.J. Watt. Unlike Watt, Baun had a breakout season this year. After four lackluster seasons with the New Orleans Saints, Baun signed with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, impressing from day one. He earned the starting role right out of camp, winning over the Philly coaches with his impressive versatility fans saw often here at UW, and the rest is history.
Baun’s DPOY bid consists of career highs in nearly all of the major linebacker categories, accumulating 151 total tackles, an interception, four pass deflections and five forced fumbles, as well as 3.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
Baun’s breakout season earned him his first Pro Bowl nomination as well as 1st team All-Pro honors. Baun’s meteoric rise to the top has the rest of the NFL on watch as he enters free agency in 2025.
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Other Standout Alumni
Though they weren’t finalists for this year’s DPOY, many other UW alumni had great seasons as well.
Andrew Van Ginkel tore it up in the linebacker position as well. In his first season with the Minnesota Vikings, Van Ginkel had what many around the league thought would also earn him a spot as a DPOY finalist. He boasted an impressive 11.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss accompanied by two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns.
Although he missed out on the DPOY race, he did earn himself a Pro Bowl nod and a spot on the All-Pro 2nd team.
Leo Chenal is still putting up numbers as a Super Bowl-bound Kansas City Chiefs team hopes to three-peat against Zack Baun and the Philadelphia Eagles two Sundays from now.
Chenal continued his career success this year with 60 total tackles. But perhaps his most impressive work came on special teams, in which he had not one, but two blocked field goals, both of which were game-winning as time expired.
Year after year, Wisconsin’s system not only develops high-caliber linebackers but also instills the grit and discipline necessary for long-term success. Baun’s and Watt’s DPOY nominations, as well as many other Badger alumni success stories, make it clear that Madison remains a pipeline for NFL greatness and UW is all but guaranteed to be what many analysts call “Linebacker U.”