Polzin: Why Chris Borland wins this battle of Wisconsin football fan favorites

Editor’s note: BadgerExtra columnist Jim Polzin is picking the best University of Wisconsin football players at each jersey number, updating a project he helped complete in 2008. Today he looks closer at numbers 40 through 49. Offense has dominated the first four parts of this series. Well, that’s about to change. Linebackers steal the spotlight in this today’s discussion, and there have been some good ones over the years. It’s a position group that has flourished at UW, whether it was in the 4-3 defense the Badgers were running when we did this original list 15 years ago or the 3-4 scheme the program started using when Gary Andersen and Dave Aranda installed it here a decade ago. Let’s get right to it. Welcome to the club Might as well rip the Band-Aid right away: A fan favorite and Madison kid — Donnel Thompson — is dropping off the list. Thompson was one of the great walk-on stories, a broken arm during his senior season at Madison West scaring off recruiters and leading to him landing just down Regent St. at Camp Randall Stadium. He was a team captain on the 1998 and ’99 teams that won Big Ten and Rose Bowl titles and is 13th all-time at UW in tackles with 347. 4-star linebacker from Hawaii commits to Wisconsin football That’s a really good career. But Chris Borland, another fan favorite who also wore No. 44, had a better one. Borland was a three-time All-Big Ten performer, was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2013 and also was named a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America that season. His 15 forced fumbles are the most in program history — the next closest is seven — and he’s tied for second in fumble recoveries (8), fourth in tackles for loss (50) and sixth in total tackles (420). Meanwhile, Ryan Connelly joins the list at No. 43. Connelly, originally a walk-on, had a solid career with 29 TFLs, two forced fumbles and two interceptions while appearing in 52 games and making 26 starts. He was a third-team All-Big Ten pick by the coaches as a senior in 2018 and honorable mention the previous season. He’s taking the spot previously held by Aaron Stecker, who had a decent two-year run as a running back and returner in the 1990s before transferring to Western Illinois after it became apparent most of the UW carries were going to go to Ron Dayne. Stop to consider Outside linebacker T.J. Watt might end up having one of the finest NFL careers by a former UW defensive player. At 28, he already is a three-time first-team All-Pro and was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. But he only started for one season at UW after starting his career at tight end and dealing with injuries early in his career. And while only having one great year isn’t a disqualifier — Russell Wilson made the cut at No. 16, after all — Watt is being measured against a player at No. 42 who had multiple great seasons during a full career. Wisconsin football alums J.J. and T.J. Watt to make history in the cereal aisle Tarek Saleh was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten player for the Badgers who was a first-team All-American as a senior in 1996. That’s 27 years ago, and yet Saleh is still UW’s all-time leader in sacks (33) and tackles for loss (58). You may remember some Leo Chenal discussion in the first part of this series earlier this week. I considered Chenal at No. 5, because that’s the number he wore in 2021 while putting together a fantastic season that included 18½ tackles for loss and 8 sacks. Wisconsin football linebacker reinstated after OWI arrest Chenal wore No. 45 during his first two seasons, so which number do you put him at? He wore No. 45 longer, but he was at No. 5 for his best and most memorable season. I think he’s No. 5. Either way, it doesn’t really matter. He wasn’t beating Brooks Bollinger at 5, and he’s not beating Nick Greisen, a two-time first-team All-Big Ten pick, at 45. Food for thought Relative newbies to UW fandom may look at some of the names below and not recognize them, so a quick history lesson on Milo Lubratovich, Ed Jankowski and Harold Rebholz. Lubratovich was a consensus All-America pick as a two-way lineman in 1930, when UW went 6-2-1 and allowed only 20 points the entire season. Jankowski was a two-time team MVP as a fullback who was selected in the first round by the Green Bay Packers in 1937 and is in the team’s Hall of Fame. I considered Vince Biegel at No. 47, but Jankowski is keeping it. Rebholz rushed for over 900 yards during his UW career and also was considered one of the best defensive players in the Big Ten. He was UW’s MVP and an honorable mention All-American as a senior in 1929. How it looks now An updated list of the top players to wear each jersey, from 40 through 49, with the best choice from the past 15 years in parentheses. 40 — Elroy Hirsch (retired jersey) 41 — Milo Lubratovich (Noah Burks) 42 — Tarek Saleh (T.J. Watt) 43 — Ryan Connelly (Connelly) 44 — Chris Borland (Borland) 45 — Nick Greisen (Leo Chenal) 46 — Jeff Mack (Austin Traylor) 47 — Ed Jankowski (Vince Biegel) 48 — Pete Monty (Jacob Pedersen) 49 — Harold Rebholz (Sam Arneson) Rest of the list Nos. 0-9 Nos. 10-19 Nos. 20-29 Nos. 30-39 Nos. 50-59 (Sunday) Nos. 60-69 (Monday) Nos. 70-79 (Tuesday) Nos. 80-89 (July 19) Nos. 90-99 (July 20)