Wisconsin Badgers lose linebacker Jack Cichy for the season
A critical piece for the Wisconsin defense will miss the entire 2017 season
Wisconsin redshirt senior linebacker Jack Cichy will miss the entire season after suffering a torn ACL in practice Tuesday. Cichy was due to start the season for Wisconsin in their quest for another trip to the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis, but will instead undergo surgery on Friday.
The 6-2 linebacker collected 60 tackles for the second consecutive season as a backup for the Badgers, appearing in only seven games. He came up big against Ohio State with a sack, forced fumble, and 3.5 tackles for loss.
Cichy’s injury hurts the #12 Badgers this season especially after losing star linebackers T.J. Watt and Vince Biegel to the NFL Draft. Watt was taken by Pittsburgh in the first round and Biegel stayed in the state of Wisconsin with Green Bay.
“You hate it for Jack,” head coach Paul Chryst said. “You only get so many chances to play this game and you never want to see a guy miss any of those opportunities. He’s one of the leaders of our team and I know he’ll be a big part of what we do moving forward this season.”
A message from @jackCICHY pic.twitter.com/w3cdyleQ3b
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) August 10, 2017
A former walk-on Cichy was voted as a team captain this year and was named as a player to watch for several national awards, including the Chuck Bednarik award.
Junior Chris Orr and redshirt junior T.J. Edwards are now projected to start for Wisconsin at inside linebacker. The Badgers open their season against Utah State at home in three weeks as the number 12 team in the country.