Cooper Catalano
| No. 44 – Wisconsin Badgers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Class | Freshman |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Germantown (Germantown, Wisconsin) |
| College | Wisconsin (2025–present) |
Cooper Catalano is an American college football linebacker for the Wisconsin Badgers.
Early life
Catalano is from Richfield, Wisconsin.[1] At age five, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.[2] He attended Germantown High School where he played football as a linebacker, posting 11 tackles in his first game and finishing with 120 tackles and 11 tackles-for-loss (TFLs) as a freshman.[3] Described by coaches as a "tackling machine", he posted 147 tackles and 19 TFLs as a sophomore.[3] He was named honorable mention all-state as a junior in 2023, when he posted 138 tackles and 18 TFLs.[4] Catalano broke the state record for career tackles as a senior in 2024, finishing his high school career with 583 tackles.[2][5] He had 178 tackles in his senior year and was named the Wisconsin large school defensive player of the year; he finished having been named all-conference in each of his four seasons, as well as won conference player of the year three times.[1] A three-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the Wisconsin Badgers.[6]
College career
Catalano joined Wisconsin in 2025 and impressed early.[7] Against Washington on November 8, he posted 19 tackles in a 13–10 win, afterwards being named the Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Week.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Cooper Catalano". Wisconsin Badgers.
- ^ a b Lucas, Mike (November 7, 2025). "Badgers linebacker Catalano tackles life and football with diabetes". The Capital Times.
- ^ a b Temple, Jesse (December 1, 2023). "What is Wisconsin football getting in 2025 commit Cooper Catalano? A tackling machine". The Athletic.
- ^ "Cooper Catalano — Germantown". Kenosha News. June 14, 2024.
- ^ Joshua, Darius (September 26, 2024). "'Tackling machine': Badgers commit breaks Wisconsin high school state tackling record". WDJT-TV.
- ^ Potrykus, Jeff (November 28, 2023). "Germantown linebacker Cooper Catalano commits to Wisconsin for 2025 class". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- ^ Steppe, John (August 16, 2025). "Tressel impressed with Catalano, Posa". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Stewart, Mark (November 10, 2025). "Wisconsin freshmen linebackers Cooper Catalano, Mason Posa honored by Big Ten". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.