Wisconsin Badgers beat writer Jesse Temple will be analyzing the 25 most important players to the Badgers' success in the 2014 season. Check back each weekday to see the latest player on the list. You can find every report here.
Note: This is not a list of the team's 25 best players or a series about past success, but rather which of them means the most to how Wisconsin will fare this year. Criteria such as depth at that player's position, general expectations and overall importance of that player having a good season are all highly considered. The list does not include incoming freshmen because their potential impact is unknown at this time.
No. 8 -- Derek Landisch, linebacker
Why he's No. 8
There isn't a single defensive player on Wisconsin's roster with more game experience than Landisch, who has played in 38 career games with three starts. Landisch is one of the names you'll hear pop up in discussions among the team's coaches for his leadership skills and toughness.
Those traits are often intangible, so here's something tangible: 33 tackles, two quarterback hurries, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Those are the numbers Landisch put up last season while he split time with Conor O'Neill. Now that O'Neill is gone, Landisch has a starting inside linebacker position all to himself.
Expectations for 2014
O'Neill finished fourth on the team in total tackles last season with 41, which really isn't that many when you consider it's a little more than three per game. Perhaps everybody's numbers were so low because linebacker Chris Borland was busy handling every tackle that came his way. Borland's 112 total tackles were nearly twice what any other player had for the Badgers a year ago.
With Borland gone -- as well as O'Neill, Ethan Armstrong and Brendan Kelly -- someone will have to account for that production. Landisch is as good a bet as anybody. Only two other players on Wisconsin's front seven -- nose guard Warren Herring and defensive end Konrad Zagzebski -- have played in at least 30 career games. Landisch already has commanded the respect of his teammates, and now it's time for him to be the playmaker they need.
Landisch said he believed the entire front seven would enter the 2014 season with something to prove.
"But something not to underestimate is just the system," Landisch said in March. "Coach (Dave) Aranda has a great system. Getting the spring work in, guys will get caught up to speed. Coach puts us in the best possible position to make plays."
What would they do without him?
Landisch's experience and leadership will be invaluable for Wisconsin this season, particularly because there are few other inside linebackers ready to step in and significantly contribute. Sophomore Jack Cichy appeared in four games as a true freshman last year and made one tackle. Redshirt senior Ben Ruechel hasn't recorded a stat, and many of the other inside linebackers are freshmen. In other words, the Badgers need Landisch to stay healthy and productive.
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