Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 13-41@ Notre Dame | 9 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 36-9vs Western Illinois | 13 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 13 tackles |
| Total | 22 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#44
Cooper Catalano
Sophomore linebacker for Wisconsin. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′1″ · 232 lb · Richfield, WI · Germantown
CFB Index 46 · #326 of 583 LBsHigh confidence
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
How he plays
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
Tackles: 96th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
22
tackles · 2026 · through week 2
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 13 tackles, vs Western Illinois
Statement game19 tackles · 1.5 TFLvs Washington (FBS) · W 13-10
Top 0.1% tackles game since 2021.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Sophomore linebacker for Wisconsin. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Wisconsin in 2025.
Cooper Catalano
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Second year in the Wisconsin linebacker corps, same address the whole way. His first career honor landed in 2025: Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. One game to point at: 13 tackles against Western Illinois — Week 2, 2026.
22 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- recognition record
- game log
His career
He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.
20258 games
- Signed with Wisconsin3-star out of Germantown
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Wisconsin
NFL
NFL Draft
—
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2 seasons under Luke Fickell — 5-9 over that span.
2025Wisconsin4-8HC: Luke Fickell · Run-heavy, slow tempo
2026Wisconsin1-1HC: Luke Fickell · Run-leaning, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Elite: tackles (96th percentile). Strength: qb hurries (83rd percentile). Concern: tackles for loss (20th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Defensive profile
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
22tackles this seasonTFL rate
0%0 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
0%0 pass breakups22 tackles.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 11.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Luke Fickell
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #43 of 72 Big Ten LBs
How the All-Big Ten estimate is computed
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 36–9
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Linebacker
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
LB
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Al-Rasheed Benton’s 2016 season.
87%match
Matches Al-Rasheed on
Weight
PD rate
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Aidan Siano's sophomore season at Rice (2022).
Matches Aidan on
Solo tackle rate
Weight
Tackle volume
Differs from Aidan on
Hurry rate (higher)
Background
Honors and Awards 2025: Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 9) 2025 Season: Played in all 12 games, making five starts at linebacker as a true freshman … finished the season with 56 tackles, 2.0 sacks and 4.5 TFLs… earned the Big Ten Defensive player of the Week award for his breakout perf...
The linebacker corps · Wisconsin
- #8Mason Posa57 tackles · 2025
- #44Cooper Catalano56 tackles · 2025
- Justus Boone28 tackles · 2025
- #15Sebastian Cheeks24 tackles · 2025
- #28Jon Jon Kamara13 tackles · 2025
17 more on the roster · Wisconsin team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology