Taylor Schaefer holds the MLB · Backup spot in Wisconsin Badgers’s linebacker room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Taylor Schaefer is a 6'3", 242-pound linebacker from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, who transferred to Wisconsin as a junior college standout. At Southern Door High School, he started three seasons at linebacker and tight end, earning All-State honors as a senior and winning Packerland Defensive Player of the Year in both his junior and senior years. After redshirting at Minnesota-Duluth in 2023, Schaefer played two seasons at Iowa Central CC, where he recorded 97 tackles, 5.0 sacks, and 10.0 tackles for loss in 10 games during the 2025 season while also earning Iowa Community College Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He adds experience with an interception and three pass breakups to his recent defensive production.