MADISON, Wis. -- For the past decade, the list of Wisconsin's leading tacklers at season's end has been one talented linebacker after another. Chris Borland. Mike Taylor. Blake Sorensen. Jaevery McFadden. Jonathan Casillas. Mark Zalewski. Dontez Sanders.
Not since safety Jim Leonhard, who co-led the Badgers with 98 tackles in 2003, has a Wisconsin player ranked first on the team in tackles and not played linebacker. It is not quite as rare as an ice cube in the Sahara Desert, but it seems awfully close.
Badgers safety Michael Caputo, however, is a rare breed. And in defensive coordinator Dave Aranda's 3-4 scheme, he has been able to thrive. That is why, through three games, Caputo leads Wisconsin in total tackles with 21, just ahead of linebacker Derek Landisch's 20. Caputo also has an interception, a fumble recovery, two pass breakups and three passes defended.
"Usually when a safety is leading you, people raise their eyebrows and say that's a bad thing," Badgers coach Gary Andersen said. "But not in the style of defense we're playing right now. That does not concern me at all."
Part of what makes Caputo successful is his ability to be used across the field. During last week's Bowling Green game, for example, Andersen noted he played in man coverage, in the post, in the box and blitzed. That's on top of him taking on a mentorship role with freshman safety Lubern Figaro, whom Caputo still helps get lined up in proper spots during games.
"You name it, that kid was all over that field last week," Andersen said. "He is in every package and he's doing different things. He's having a special year and it's great to see. He's a special kid. But he can handle it all because mentally he's so sharp."
Andersen noted that when he served as a defensive coordinator at Utah, safety Eric Weddle was among the team's best tacklers, which is why Andersen had little concern now. In 2005, Weddle ranked third on the team in total tackles with 78. He finished fourth in 2006 with 64 tackles and has been a member of the San Diego Chargers since 2007. Utah went 15-10 in those two seasons and won two bowl games.
Caputo is used in a similar way because coaches are comfortable having him involved in as many packages as possible.
"Mike is one of the most versatile players I've ever seen as far as the way he can cover the pass and come up and run and play like a linebacker," Landisch said. "He's like a hybrid safety. He hits very hard, and he's not scared to make a hit on anybody. We use that to our advantage in the scheme that we run."
When Caputo arrived at Wisconsin in 2011 out of West Allegheny High School in Imperial, Pa., he had zero experience as a safety. His primary position was running back, and he played outside linebacker on defense, though that development was cut short after he sustained a season-ending injury in the first game of his senior year.
He began his career on the scout-team defense and quickly learned the challenge of transitioning to the college game.
"Going back to when I was a freshman, let's just say I had a lot of potential," Caputo said Monday, drawing laughter from the assembled media. "I'll put it that way. I had a lot of stuff to work on. I came in, I didn't even know how to backpedal, really.
"You've got to hunker down. I've picked up a lot of skillset and I had talent that I was working with. I just really prepared and worked on tracking the ball and things like that. A lot of it's instinctual, but a lot of it comes with preparation and knowing what the other guys are doing."
Caputo, a redshirt junior, cited competing against players like Russell Wilson, Peter Konz, Kevin Zeitler, Montee Ball and Nick Toon -- all future NFL players -- as a reason for his rapid development at the position. In 2012, he made his first career start at safety by October, and he appeared in 13 games. A year ago as a safety, he made 12 starts and finished second on the team in total tackles with 63, behind only Borland.
Caputo was hesitant to take much credit for being Wisconsin's leading tackler thus far. He tallied 15 tackles in the season opener against LSU but said when each defensive player does his job correctly, it makes his job much easier. He also noted how spread out the tackles had been through three games. On Saturday, Landisch finished with six tackles, Caputo five and six different players had four tackles.
"It just happens these last couple weeks that everyone is doing their job and it just winds back and I make a play, especially going back to the first week where that happened," Caputo said. "You get everyone doing the same thing and good things happen."
Never has that been truer than with Caputo lined up all over the field.
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