Cooper Catalano holds the MLB · Starter spot in Wisconsin Badgers’s linebacker room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Cooper Catalano, a 6'1", 232-pound linebacker from Germantown High School in Richfield, Wisconsin, played in all 12 games as a true freshman for Wisconsin in 2025, making five starts. He recorded 56 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and 4.5 tackles for loss. Against Washington on November 8, Catalano posted 19 tackles, 2.0 TFLs, and his first career sack, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors. His 56-tackle season marked the most for a Power 4 freshman since 2017 and the most by a Badger since 2011. Catalano was a three-star composite recruit and intends to study business at Wisconsin.

Wisconsin2025 — present