MIKE LUCAS Senior Writer

BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer

MADISON, Wis. — Out of concern for social distancing, Zoom meetings have become an indispensable part of 2020 culture. The teleconferencing has led to newfound access and old friends. Imagine the reaction of Wisconsin's outside linebackers when T.J. Watt joined their Zoom session.

"I was shocked," said freshman Nick Herbig.

"He had time for us," said UW assistant coach Bobby April, "which was awesome."

The 26-year-old Watt recently graced the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine and was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the NFL's No. 3 lineman — offense and defense combined — behind Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson.

After earning first-team All-America honors at outside linebacker with the Badgers during his redshirt junior season, Watt was taken in the first round of the 2017 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Through 51 games, all starts, he has produced 39 quarterback sacks and 15 forced fumbles.

"He took some time out of his day and jumped on (Zoom) and just told them about his experiences here and what has helped him," said April, who's entering his third season coaching the outside 'backers. "The guys really appreciated it and I appreciated it."

Nobody appreciated it more than one of Watt's biggest fans, Herbig, who has followed his career from afar. Herbig is from Kalaheo, Hawaii, which is not only 4,715 miles from Pittsburgh, but 4,269 miles from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, where T.J. was raised with brothers Derek and J.J., also a Herbig fave in the NFL.

"I've never gotten to meet him (T.J.) in person or talk to him one-on-one — but that's definitely going to be on my bucket list," Herbig enthused. "During the quarantine when he hopped on the Zoom call with us, he gave us tips on how to read an offensive lineman and pass-rushing pointers."

He also said that Watt encouraged them to "enjoy the game and have fun."

It was not always that way for Watt at Wisconsin. During his first few years on campus, he struggled with injuries. Once he made the move from tight end to linebacker, it opened new doors. Even though he was still raw, he had 63 tackles and 11.5 sacks in his only season as a UW starter in '16.

Since then, Watt has rapidly developed into an impact player, a bona fide difference-maker.

In 2019, he was named first-team All-Pro as an edge rusher with the Steelers.

"I respect his tenacity and his motor; he's non-stop and always working," Herbig said. "If one pass-rush move doesn't work, he goes to the next one. If that doesn't work, he goes to the next one after that. He just keeps working at it. He's a menace on the defense.

"When the offense comes out and sees No. 90 (Watt's number in Pittsburgh; he was No. 42 with the Badgers) on the field, it's definitely someone that they don't want to see. I really respect that out of him and I want to be that type of player."

April approached Herbig with that in mind while recruiting the four-star prospect.

"He showed me some players who had played before me at Wisconsin," Herbig said of April's film presentation. "And then he showed me my film and what I potentially could do for them, and that really excited me. He showed me guys like T.J., Joe Schobert and Zack Baun."

April connected the dots between 3-4 defensive schemes. The one that the Badgers play and the one that Herbig was playing in Honolulu at Saint Louis School, a celebrated program that has won four straight state championships and whose alums include NFL quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Tua Tagovailoa.

"From what he was doing in high school, we were doing the same thing here at the exact same time," April explained. "I was able to grab plays of him from two weeks prior to our meeting and show him, 'Hey, this stunt is what we call it, what do you call it?'

"It was pretty cool to be able to say to him, 'That defense is what we run, what do you call it?' And it was nothing about trying to sell him, it was just trying to show him that, 'What you're doing really well right now (for Saint Louis), you can do really well here.'"

Herbig has appreciated April's approach to teaching the X's and O's.

"I watch film with him a lot now," he said. "I really take away a lot of mental reps from him and I try to apply it the best that I can."

The learning process began at the start of the January semester for Herbig, an early enrollee. It ended abruptly less than two months later when the UW campus was closed in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. All classes went online and Herbig went home to Hawaii.

"It was kind of frustrating for sure when everything was shut down," he conceded. "That was one of the big reasons that I came early was for spring ball to get into the routine and to get used to the playbook. It's definitely different repping it on the field than looking at it on paper."

There was a silver lining. Herbig was able to train with his older brother, Nate.

"It was one of the best things that could have happened to me during the whole quarantine," he said. "Me and Nate trained every day. He was really hard on me and he pushed me to my limits. He was definitely my biggest coach and mentor growing up. He showed me the ropes."

Nate Herbig, 22, is a 6-foot-4, 334-pound starting offensive guard with the Philadelphia Eagles.

"I'll call him after we have full-padded practices, one-on-one," said 6-2, 225-pound Nick Herbig, who will often send his brother screen recordings of his scrimmaging. "I'll ask him what I could do better. He helps me break down the film and he will give me some pointers and tips."

Nate Herbig signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019 with the Eagles after earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors during an injury-riddled junior season at Stanford. In 2016, he was the first true freshman to start on the Cardinal O-line since 2012 and only the second since 2000.

Based on that experience as a first-year contributor, he has shared some thoughts with his little brother, who aspires to a similar role. "He tells me, 'Don't let the moment be too big … take it all in,'" said Nick, who was reminded, "I've prepared for this — I've been training my whole life for this moment. Lock in. Ball out."

April was asked what might allow Nick Herbig to play early for the Badgers.

"He is a violent, ferocious football player," he said, "who will do anything to be successful."

How long did it take April to discover that about Herbig?

"The second you talk to Nick; you'll know that's who he is."

To this end, Herbig has shaped his expectations accordingly.

"I've always kept a humble mind," he stressed. "But that was always my goal — to come in and make an impact my freshman year, however that would be. It just so happened that I'm getting this opportunity (for practice reps), so I'm trying to make the most of it."

As far as making the jump from high school (where he was the Defensive Player of the Year in Hawaii) and adjusting to the competition, he said, "I have to play smarter and more technically sound at this level because it's not high school where I was stronger, bigger and faster than everyone.

"I'm kind of undersized for my position, so I need to know my assignment, I need to know my reads and I need to know the playbook … I'm definitely a lot stronger (since January) and I feel like I'm faster. I feel physically ready."

Outside linebacker Noah Burks has been a positive influence during the transition for Herbig, who said of the fifth-year senior, "Whenever I need help on plays, especially run-blocking type of things, I will ask him how I can approach it or what I need to do better. Great guy, great leader. He took me in."

Playing opposite Baun, a consensus first-team All-American, Burks had a breakout season in 2019 with the sixth-most tackles on defense, including seven tackles for loss, a couple of sacks and a 68-yard interception return for a touchdown. Herbig and junior Izayah Green-May have been competing in that complementary role to Burks during training camp.

"Izayah has helped me out, too," Herbig said. "He's always there for me. If I have a question, I go to him and we definitely push each other every day. We're always trying to get better. If I'm having a bad day, he tries to bring me up and bring the energy." And vice-versa.

Sophomore C.J. Goetz and redshirt freshman Spencer Lytle have factored into the OLB mix, too, prompting April to remark, "The entire group has pushed themselves more than I've ever seen since I've been here. The competitive levels are awesome right now."

Herbig has felt comfortable in this type of environment.

"I played with great teammates at Saint Louis — it was just like here," he said of the depth chart. "The twos are pushing the ones and the threes are pushing the twos. Everyone is pushing each other to get better. If you're not doing your job, someone else will step up.

"So, you have to make sure you're coming to work every day, you're coming locked-in."

Reflecting on how 2020 started, he reasoned, "First not getting spring ball and then having the season postponed (in August), this was not like how I pictured my freshman year going. But I kept training and working hard and here we are days away (from the opener on Oct. 23 against Illinois).

"Even though it won't be the real Camp Randall (without fans), I can't wait."

If he sounded excited to start his career with the Badgers, think again.

"I'm ecstatic," he said.

Some of that ferocity was coming through loud and clear.