Aaron Witt Will Return to Wisconsin For a Seventh Season
MADISON, Wis. — Senior linebacker Aarron Witt will return to Wisconsin for a seventh season, head coach Luke Fickell confirmed on Wednesday. After meeting with Fickell, defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, and outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell, Witt will give it one more go in a Badger uniform.
“He had a choice, and we had a choice. That’s just the truth of it,” Fickell told reporters. “Aaron wanted to be here. But Aaron also wanted to make sure he was in a position where he could make an impact as much as he possibly could.
“He was gonna play football. I know this, he didn’t want to play any place else. That meant a lot to me. There were some definite things over the last six years that we didn’t want to lose from here. One of those things in college football is, how do you continue to keep some of the roots and history that you have?
“There have been some things built, and Aaron Witt has been a part of that…There’s a lot of things that Aaron provides, just (not) playing the game of football, but also a culture, the things that we’re still building.”
Witt has a long and complicated injury history.
Witt arrived at Wisconsin during the 2020 COVID season. An instant impact true freshman for the Badgers, Witt appeared in five games and had a sack against Wake Forest in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. He would not play in another game for UW for 1,060 days.
Going into his true sophomore season, Witt broke his foot and had season-ending surgery. The following summer, he suffered what he thought was a minor ankle injury. As time went on, Witt was just never ready until week three when Wisconsin took on Notre Dame in Chicago. All set to return, Witt re-broke his foot. This time, Witt declined surgery.
After things healed following the 2021 season, doctors discovered issues with his previously injured ankle. Witt opted for surgery the following winter. It was then determined that the ankle didn’t heal properly, and doctors had to go back in to clean things up, forcing Witt to miss the entire 2022 campaign. Doctors would not clear Witt until the 2023 regular season finale against Minnesota.
Witt discussed the potential of returning to UW in 2026 with Badger Blitz in November.
“It’s definitely out there,” he said. “I want to play football next year. Whether that be in college or if I get an opportunity. I really haven’t focused on next season. I mentioned to coach Mitchell (Matt Mitchell) in the summer the possibility of it, but I’m just trying to be the best teammate I can, best leader I can, and try to finish the season.”
In a reserve role, Witt had 13.0 tackles and a sack last season. His lone sack, and first since 2020, came at Oregon. Witt has played in 30 games over his career between defensive end and outside linebacker. This fall, he’ll move to linebacker, competing with the likes of Mason Posa, Cooper Catalano, Thomas Heiberger, and Taylor Schaefer.
“He had gone back and forth on what’s the best opportunity for him, for him to be able to get on the field and play more,” said Fickell. “We felt like it wasn’t getting bigger, getting him closer to the line of scrimmage, and playing with his hand in the ground, it was more, be in the 240-245 pound range where it’s better on his body.”
