The Wisconsin Badgers added numerous players through the transfer portal this offseason but none have been quite like a certain defender.
Tyreese Fearbry, a former four-star recruit in the 2022 class, once appeared to be a lock for Pittsburgh before shocking many and signing with the Kentucky Wildcats. Fearbry was the 178th overall recruit in the 2022 class and had been a tremendous signing for the staff at the time. Between injuries and a lack of room for Fearbry, the linebacker played very limited snaps during his career with the Wildcats.
Fearbry announced he would enter the transfer portal after his most productive season at the collegiate level, and earned a four-star rating as a transfer. The 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound linebacker earned a reputation as an explosive player off of the snap with the athleticism and body control needed to work his way around edge blockers.
The outside linebacker was in the portal for two weeks before finally deciding on a new home, and opted to join the Wisconsin Badgers in an effort to stay on the field as much as possible.
Wisconsin Badgers Linebacker Tyreese Fearbry Continues to Impress Staff During Camp Practice
The season is closer than ever and Fearbry has looked arguably the best that he has looked all offseason in Madison. The former Kentucky transfer always had the physical tools, and those attributes appear to be what is allowing the linebacker to have such an immense impact early on.
Originally, the Kentucky Wildcats staff was ecstatic about landing the recruit and defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach Brad White was one such member. White broke down the talent of Fearbry for the Wildcats fans on National Signing Day in 2022. White noted Fearbry is a “special” player and that “you don’t get that much out of 6-foot-4, 225-pound guys” when talking about the pursuit ability of the linebacker.
While power, strength, and size were all major factors in the recruitment of Fearbry for the Wisconsin Badgers, the outside linebacker possesses a heat-seeking ability to find the quarterback and bring him down. Fearbry also has long arms and a tremendous wingspan which gives the outside linebacker great reach off of the edge. Regardless of size however, Fearbry understands his job on the field which is a trait Wisconsin can utilize after seeing similar linebacker transfer flop in the past.
Speed has also been another factor that has set Fearbry apart from other players and was a major reason why Kentucky had been interested in the recruit out of high school. Fearbry was previously roughly 230-pounds in high school but possessed tremendous speed and would often run down running backs from behind. The speed of Fearbry has not gone away over time, and rather the linebacker has bulked up to about 250-pounds now while maintaining the same athleticism.
For the Wisconsin Badgers, Fearbry is as if Charles Perkins shrunk himself down into a linebacker frame with his combination of power, speed, and tenacity on the field. Fearbry will attempt to swim past blockers, and when that does not work, the linebacker resorts to pure power to make his way to the quarterback.
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