Wisconsin cornerbacks embracing competition, comradery heading into camp

In 2021, Wisconsin football boasted one of the best defenses in the nation, anchored on the back end by veteran corners Caesar Williams and Faion Hicks, along with slot specialist Dean Engram.

When the offseason dust settled, Williams and Hicks graduated and are currently looking towards the NFL, while Engram transitioned to wide receiver. With them went about 83 percent of coverage snaps played by Badgers cornerbacks last year.

The offseason also saw a replenishing of talent in the cornerback room by way of the transfer portal. Jay Shaw of UCLA, Cedrick Dort Jr. of Kentucky and Justin Clark of Toledo all found their way to Madison to reinforce UW’s defensive backs. The experience they bring (Shaw and Dort are sixth-year seniors, Clark is a seventh-year) will be key to maintaining the standard of excellence of defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s defense.

“If you watch Coach Leonhard’s career, then you understand the defense he’s calling,” Shaw said reverently. “I ain’t even gonna say too much on that.”

“(Leonhard) is the smartest coach I’ve ever been around,” Clark gushed. “He does a good job of putting players in positions to be successful, particularly me, playing both inside and outside.”

The Badgers’ defensive guru was clearly a major selling point for the transfer cornerbacks. And Leonhard is as excited to draw up plays for them as they are to shadow receivers for him.

“I really am excited for that group. It’s as deep a corner group as we’ve ever had,” Leonhard said. “As long as things go and progress in camp the way I would expect, then we can do some really unique things with this group.”

Wisconsin’s new-look cornerback room may be pieced together, but by all accounts, the comradery came quickly and naturally. Dort called the corners a “clique.” Clark called them a “family.”

“The vibe is really good,” cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat said of his players. “I thought Alex Smith did a great job this summer taking that leadership role and really bringing the guys together on and off the field…They understand it’s a competition, but they also wanna see all of them be successful.”

“It’s fun,” Dort said. “As soon as we came in, there was no inside attitude or beef towards one another. (The cornerback room) took us in as brothers of their own.”

Part of the reason the group gets along so well is a distinct lack of ego that stems from a desire to constantly improve. When a young position group gets an influx of experienced talent that is expected to compete for starting sports right away, a superiority, or at least seniority complex, could exist naturally.

For players like Clark, a seventh-year senior, this season represents his last chance to build his resume and leave his legacy in college football. But there is no internal hierarchy with these corners.

“My mindset was to earn the respect of my teammates,” Dort said simply of his transfer to Wisconsin. “You have to earn that respect within yourself. When you go out there and handle your business how you’re supposed to, naturally guys will come around you and look up to you.”

“We play football. This is a sport built around ego and things of that nature. Everyone feels like they’ve done things in the past…In the beginning it’s all learning. You gotta listen,” Shaw added.

No matter how tight of a bond these corners have, though, competition is the reality of their situation. Poteat said that there may be some packages and rotations within the cornerback room to get different guys onto the field, but it’s still likely that whichever corners occupy the top three spots will see the majority of the playing time.

As fall camp heats up, each rep becomes more crucial in determining a pecking order for the cornerbacks. Everyone involved expects nothing less than a hard-fought battle for starting spots.

“The competition within that group is gonna be really high,” Leonhard said.

“I really think that the competition went up in the spring,” Poteat added.

Smith, a fifth-year senior cornerback, understands that with a position group this deep, nothing can be taken for granted, even as the corner deemed leader of the group by Poteat.

“Everybody’s working, competing," he said. "There’s spots to be earned. Nothing is given just cause those (transfers) have experience, just cause I have experience.”

What will separate a cornerback from the rest in this fervid competition? Top to bottom, the standard is clear. The expectation for this group is not to just go out there and hold their own. The expectation is to make plays that change the trajectory of games.

“Who can stand out from a playmaking standpoint? There’s consistency, there’s the willingness and ability to challenge receivers, and then who can finish with some big plays,” Leonhard said.

“Make plays, be game changers,” Smith said when asked what’s expected of cornerbacks in Wisconsin’s defense. “Don’t just settle for the PBU’s or tackles or whatever. Our job is to make big plays.”

Last season, Williams led Wisconsin’s corners with three interceptions. Those are the big plays the Badgers will need from their corners in the biggest games this season, like when they line up against Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Michigan State’s Jayden Reed, two of the better receivers in the country.

Despite major turnover, optimism is massively high for this group of cornerbacks. As every starter in the secondary from last season’s dominant defense is replaced, the pressure will be high for the back end of the defense to live up to Leonhard’s standards. With such a deep group, a subpar performance means there will always be a player waiting to replace you. Poteat said it best:

“It’s not owned, it’s rented, and every day rent is due," he said. "It doesn’t matter what you did in the spring or what you did last year, it’s what you're doing right now.”

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