For the first time since November of last year, the Wisconsin Badgers have a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
After a six-pressure, 2.5-sack performance, Sebastian Cheeks was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, marking the first time a Badger has won the award since Darryl Peterson against the Illinois Fighting Illini last year.
Cheeks, who has been one of the best edge rushers in the country this year, wreaked havoc on the quarterback, while also recording four defensive stops. He had six pressures and a 17.1 percent pass rush win rate, according to PFF. That puts him at 34 pressures on the year, and it was a nice bounce-back after he had just one pressure against UCLA, due to the constant chipping and double teams.
Here’s what the Big Ten said about Cheeks in its announcement:
- Posted five tackles and 2.5 sacks in Wisconsin’s win against No. 16 USC at Camp Randall on Saturday night
- His five tackles included the three parts of sacks and two stops for no gain
- Helped the Badgers hold USC to -17 yards rushing, which ranks as the second-best mark in Wisconsin school history and the best by a defense in Division I college football this season
- Last Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Week honoree: Darryl Peterson (Nov. 24, 2025)
Elsewhere, Northwestern’s Aidan Chiles won Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after accounting for over 300 yards and five touchdowns in a blowout win over Rutgers. Minnesota’s Luke Drzewiecki won the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honor, while Illinois’s Michael Clayton was the Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
Cheeks has been the star of an elite Badgers defense, as he has 34 pressures and 18 defensive stops in seven games for Wisconsin, which is more than he had all of last season.
According to PFF, he is second among Power 4 edge rushers in pressures this season, with only Virginia’s Matthew Fobbs-White (35 pressures) having more, although the latter has played in one more game than Cheeks this season.