Nick Herbig is nothing short of ready to strap the pads on and get the 2022 season underway.

The Wisconsin linebacker is coming off a successful 2021 campaign, one where he totaled a team-high 9.0 sacks — 4th in the Big Ten — and registered 14.5 tackles for a loss. He also finished with a 91.4 pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus, higher than Badgers greats Joe Schobert and T.J. Watt during their careers in Madison.

Now, the junior from Hawaii is reaching for much more as the Badgers look to improve on a season that saw them finish 9-4 (6-3 B1G) and defeat Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Herbig, who is one of 3 Wisconsin players that will join Paul Chryst at Big Ten Football Media Days, discussed his reaction to the preseason buzz that he has received.

People say, ‘Don’t pay attention to that stuff.’ But you’re lying if you say that you don’t look,” he said in an interview with UWBadgers.com senior writer Mike Lucas. “You’re lying if you don’t like to see validation of the work that you’ve been doing. That’s all it is for me. Validation.”

Herbig will hope to apply lessons he learned from Watt, with the 2 men having worked out together in the past.

“My focal point is being a lot more quick and explosive off the edge – being a stronger presence – I want to be a game-changer,” he explained. “I don’t want to just make a play here and there. I want them asking, ‘Where’s 19 at? Where’s 19 lining up?’ That’s the type of player I want to be.”

The Badgers open their season at Camp Randall Stadium against FCS Illinois State on Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. CT, a nationally-televised contest on FS1.