Key Wisconsin Badgers: No. 5 - Cornerback Alexander Smith

Wisconsin's 2023 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 Luke Fickell's squad this year.

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

A two-way player in high school, Alexander Smith was recruited to Wisconsin as an athlete in the 2018 recruiting class. The Culver City, Calif., native listed offers from Army, Air Force, Navy, Boston College and a handful of FCS schools, ultimately committing to the Badgers in June of 2017.

"First I saw the academic side - they’re very big on that. Really rigorous academic school, so that stood out for sure," Smith told BadgerBlitz.com upon signing with Wisconsin. "And then on the football side, over the years the winning tradition that they have, just everything like putting players into the NFL, the coaches and the community really just felt like home when I went up there. It felt like a home away from home, and that’s just where I wanted to be."

Initially given two-stars, Smith wound up as a three-star recruit. The 2018 class was heavy on the secondary, as the Badgers also signed Travian Blaylock, Rachad Wildgoose, Donte Burton and Reggie Pearson. Only Smith and Blaylock remain, and both are expected to start in the back end this fall.

Smith was unable to play last season until the Michigan State game in mid-October due to an injury. He only worked as a nickel defender in the slot in that game, but the corner primarily lined up on the outside in the following games, supplanting Ricardo Hallman, who struggled in East Lansing.

Until 2021, Smith was used sparingly as a slot corner. Since then, however, he's mainly played on the outside and will continue to do so in his sixth year in Madison. During spring practice, Smith unsurprisingly ran with the starters alongside fellow corners Hallman and Jason Maitre, the latter of which will play nickelback in the slot.

"Alex has had a lot of battle scars and (he's) been through it," cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes told reporters in April. "If I need to get the guys together and I need to get something addressed, he's the guy that I call...All of the guys respect him in the room, not just because of his playing but who he is and how he carries himself."

When he did play last season, Smith was a reliable cover man. He didn't rack up interceptions or pass breakups, but he was never a liability in coverage. The most yards he gave up in a single game last season was 71 against Purdue, but a good chunk of those came on an absurd catch from Boilermaker receiver Charlie Jones in garbage time.

Smith isn't the flashiest or most dynamic, but when you don't notice a cornerback it usually means they're playing extremely well in coverage. His experience and tangible leadership qualities will be invaluable for the Badgers' secondary this season.

Wisconsin's secondary will look a lot different from last season in that the Badgers need to replace 1,240 snaps from the three transfers they brought in who have since departed from the program. With Smith, the Badgers have a highly-experienced corner who is an unquestioned locker room leader and the top dog of the cornerback room. Smith figures to draw the toughest assignment out wide each week, and his veteran presence will be a massive part of the Badgers' defense.

As long as Smith can stay healthy, he'll hold down a starting spot all season long. Along with the fellow sixth-year senior Maitre and the battle-tested Hallman, who's dripping with potential after an electrifying spring camp, the Badgers' top three corners figure to be very solid. Depth is somewhat of a concern when multiple true freshman are in the two-deep, which is all the more reason why Smith's leadership is of the upmost importance this season. In his final year in Madison, Smith will look to put together a complete season and stake his claim as one of the better veteran corners in the conference.

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