Cooper Catalano
American football player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cooper Catalano is an American college football linebacker for the Wisconsin Badgers.
| No. 44 – Wisconsin Badgers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Class | Freshman |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Germantown (Germantown, Wisconsin) |
| College | Wisconsin (2025–present) |
Early life
Catalano is from Richfield, Wisconsin.[1] At age five, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.[2] He attended Germantown High School where he played football as a linebacker, posting 11 tackles in his first game and finishing with 120 tackles and 11 tackles-for-loss (TFLs) as a freshman.[3] Described by coaches as a "tackling machine", he posted 147 tackles and 19 TFLs as a sophomore.[3] He was named honorable mention all-state as a junior in 2023, when he posted 138 tackles and 18 TFLs.[4] Catalano broke the state record for career tackles as a senior in 2024, finishing his high school career with 583 tackles.[2][5] He had 178 tackles in his senior year and was named the Wisconsin large school defensive player of the year; he finished having been named all-conference in each of his four seasons, as well as won conference player of the year three times.[1] A three-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the Wisconsin Badgers.[6]
College career
Catalano joined Wisconsin in 2025 and impressed early.[7] Against Washington on November 8, he posted 19 tackles in a 13–10 win, afterwards being named the Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Week.[8]
