2023 Wisconsin Badgers Positional Review: Cornerbacks

Wisconsin dropped a hard-fought bowl game against No. 13 LSU to close out its 2023 campaign and the debut season of head coach Luke Fickell. Soon, winter conditioning will get underway, shortly followed by spring practice.

Over the next two weeks, BadgerBlitz.com will examine the 2023 Badgers position by position. Today, we'll continue with the cornerbacks, a group that will have to replace much of its production next season.

Wisconsin's defense had a largely forgettable season in Mike Tressel's first year as defensive coordinator. But don't let that overshadow the play of field corner Rico Hallman — the redshirt sophomore was a ball hawk all season long, tallying seven interceptions across 13 games.

Hallman made plenty of headlines last spring after the performance he put on in camp. The corner was everywhere defensively, showing a particular knack for reading the quarterback's eyes and stepping into what were oftentimes easy interceptions. But it's one thing to record pick after pick against the team you practice against every day, and it's another thing to replicate that in-game. Hallman silenced any and all doubters that he would be able to create the same kind of production in-season.

Now, interceptions aren't always the mark of a successful cornerback. Corners that see a high target volume are simply more likely to get their hands on a few of those passes. But if you're getting thrown at more as a corner, that likely means opposing teams think they can exploit you in coverage. And therein lies what was so impressive about Hallman's season. The corner was targeted in coverage 62 times, according to Pro Football Focus, easily tops in on the team. However, he only allowed a reception percentage of 51.6, also easily lowest in the cornerback room. So not only did Hallman rack up the interceptions, he was also the Badgers' best pure cover corner. That's the mark of a complete cornerback.

This game caused quite the internal debate amongst Badger fans. Yes, Wisconsin won rather comfortably. Yes, it picked off Georgia Southern quarterback Davis Brin five times. No, it was hardly a dominant defensive performance; Brin tossed for 383 yards, marching up and down the field on the Badgers' secondary only to be thwarted by interception after interception.

Unbeknownst at the time, this game wound up being a great representation of Wisconsin's season. Even in victory, there were several glaring issues that made it hard to feel comfortable about the first iteration of Fickell's Badgers. It was the secondary's weakest performance of the season, as they got cooked time and time again deep down the field by the Eagles.

Georgia Southern's passing game is nothing to scoff at — the Eagles boast two incredibly talented wide receivers in Derwin Burgess Jr. and Khaleb Hood. Those two especially torched Wisconsin's cornerbacks to the tune of a combined 15 catches for 185 yards. The Badgers gave up big plays all afternoon; 68 yards, 41 yards, 27 yards through the air. Despite the whopping five interceptions, it was a rather abysmal display of pass defense.

The Badgers' secondary managed to tighten up after that performance and wouldn't let another passer shred them like that. But the Eagles came to Madison and slung the ball around Camp Randall all afternoon, and Wisconsin had no answer.

Jason Maitre played his sixth and final year of college ball in Madison after transferring from Boston College, and he quickly locked down the starting nickel job. He played nearly every meaningful snap at slot corner, logging a staggering 544 snaps at that spot. The player with the next highest nickel snaps? Safety Hunter Wohler, who lined up in the slot 145 times. The ensuing players on the list are mostly safeties as well — the Badgers didn't have a second cornerback they consistently trusted to line up in the slot.

The Badgers have several offers out to corners in the portal, but none have committed thus far. It appears as if Wisconsin may need to find its next nickel defender from within, and there are several intriguing options to potentially fill that role.

Austin Brown played 58 snaps in the slot in the ReliaQuest Bowl vs LSU as Wisconsin's primary nickel defender. He was targeted eight times and allowed just four catches, but did give up a touchdown in coverage. It was a solid performance, one that should have Brown in position to compete for a regular nickel snaps come spring.

There are several other names to keep an eye on as well. During the regular season, Fickell told reporters that safety Owen Arnett was the backup slot corner, although he never saw the field on defense. Versatile safety Braedyn Moore is another intriguing option. Wisconsin also has an abundance of young talent waiting in the wings in the cornerback room, from class of 2023 players Jonas Duclona, Jace Arnold and A.J. Tisdell to 2024 newcomers such as Omilio Agard and Jay Harper. Many of those corners project as outside players, but the defensive staff may have to get creative as it searches for its next starting nickel.

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