Wisconsin's 2022 football season is right around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com ranked the top 30 players who we think will be the keys to success for Paul Chryst's squad this year.

Playing time, past performance and positional depth all factored in to our staff rankings.

Defensive coordinatorJim Leonhard is working with some new faces in his cornerback room heading into the 2022 season. Multi-year starters Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams are preparing for the NFL, while Dean Engram, who figured to play a key role in the secondary, moved to the other side of the ball this spring. To retool the room, Leonhard and assistant coach Hank Poteat brought in Justin Clark out of Toledo as part of a trio of corners - Jay Shaw and Cedrick Dort included - who should add necessary depth to the room.

Clark, a seventh-year senior, appeared in 47 games with 18 starts for Toledo, where he played under Poteat for four seasons. The experienced corner has earned the trust of his position coach and put together a strong spring camp. Clark was one of UW's top corners and is versatile enough to play multiple spots on the field.

"I coached him for four years. I actually recruited him out of high school, know his dad personally, so I feel like we're pretty close," Poteat told reporters in April. "I just know how he works, I know he prepares, I know the athlete that he is. One of his strengths is an attention to detail and awareness of game situation. He understands spacing, formations.

"He is a really smart player outside of being a really good athlete, so I'm really excited to have him. He is a player that I trust because I've had him for a long time and I know him personally. I know some of the things he can provide to this team."

Clark committed to the Badgers back in January and now has a full spring of work under his belt. The veteran corner brings the reps and game experience with him, but he's still working to jell with his teammates at Wisconsin. He's also set to compete against a stronger schedule at the Power 5 level.

"In the secondary, obviously we brought in some veteran corners," Leonhard said. "We know what they can do physically but it's getting them to learn the system, learn how to communicate with their teammates and really showcase what they are. They have to prove what they are."

Clark's experience and versatile should be extremely valuable this fall. And with plenty of snaps to fill, Clark should see the field early and often, and should also play a role in the development of young corners like Al Ashford and Ricardo Hallman, among others.

Clark is part of a veteran group that will be asked to fill the void on and off the field, both mentoring a group of young corners and playing meaningful snaps in the fall.

"What I've seen in the three transfers is just the maturity, their veteran presence," Poteat said. "Understanding ball, playing in a lot of big games against some good competition and they really have a feel for the game, feel for the situation. Those were some of the things we were looking for."

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