Mason Reiger is emerging as the glaring one player Louisville football fans wish the Cardinals had kept, as he is becoming a defensive beast in the Big Ten.
Reiger now plays for the Wisconsin Badgers after playing for Louisville for his first four seasons in college. The 23-year-old became a star for the Cardinals in 2023 when he logged 22 tackles, 6.0 tackles for a loss, and 5.0 sacks.
Reiger sat out 2024 with a crushing injury and then transferred to Wisconsin, where he is now becoming a key player on Luke Fickell's defense. As the Badgers gear up for a massive Week 3 showdown with the Alabama Crimson Tide, a well-known Wisconsin football expert revealed that this showdown is a massive opportunity for the former Cardinal to climb on the 2026 NFL Draft boards.
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Mason Reiger has a career-defining battle against Alabama
Reiger enters Week 3 after being rated the top defender for the Badgers in Week 2 by Pro Football Focus. Louisville fans are watching the edge rusher dominate for his new team as he earned a 90.2 rating on defense and an 86.4 as a pass rusher. He earned 41 snaps and logged five pressures on the quarterback, four hurries, and four tackles.
OLB Mason Reiger's been the star of the #Badgers defense so far this season. Very interested to watch him vs. Alabama left tackle Kadyn Proctor. That's a matchup that if Reiger does well, he climbs draft boards.
— Colten Bartholomew (@CBartWSJ) September 10, 2025
He will look to carry his dominant performance into Tuscaloosa, where he has a massive showdown against future first-round pick and left tackle Kadyn Proctor.
The former 5-star prospect was ranked as high as No. 5 in the country out of Iowa and has been nothing but dominant during his time in college. He is a consensus first-round pick in 2027 as he was a First Team All-Freshman last year and Second Team All-SEC. Reiger not only will be a key player if Wisconsin wants to shock the nation and upset Alabama, but he will also have a massive opportunity to gain NFL Draft stock today and prove he can play against the best of the best.
Reiger will have his hands full and a massive challenge going up against Proctor, but the former Cardinal ranks No. 12 in the nation with quarterback pressures and has shown time and time again throughout his career that he is a game-wrecker.
The former Cardinal is a player for Louisville, Wisconsin, and Alabama fans to all keep an eye on today, and this matchup between Reiger and Prcotor should be a fun battle that not only is an X-factor in who wins, but a factor in Reiger's NFL dreams.
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