Wisconsin's 2024 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.

Ricardo Hallman came to Wisconsin as part of its excellent 2021 class. The four-star cornerback was a top-50 player in the state of Florida and chose Wisconsin over offers from Michigan, Miami (FL), Penn State and Ole Miss, among others.

"Wisconsin was the right place because I wanted to be coached by guys like Coach (Jim) Leonhard and Coach (Paul) Chryst," Hallman told BadgerBlitz.com. "Those two will be able to develop me as a player and I love Coach Leonhard's experience in the NFL. I know that he can help me achieve that dream."

Hallman's recruitment was unusual as much of it took place during the Covid-19 pandemic. His "visit" to Madison was a virtual one over zoom. Nonetheless, Wisconsin was still able to sell Hallman on all Madison has to offer.

"Wisconsin is also a great place and a great college town - one of the best spots in the nation," he said. "I really just want to go there to learn and play in that environment. I've wanted to be a Badger for a while, it was really just a matter of time."

Hallman is coming off one of the more impressive seasons ever by a Wisconsin cornerback. He intercepted seven passes, which tied him for the most on the country with Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts. In 2023, Hallman firmly established himself as one of the better corners in the country.

Hallman is a smaller defensive back at 5-foot-10, but he has several elite traits that more than make up for his lack of height. First and foremost, he reads the quarterback's eyes extremely well. Many of Hallman's interceptions from last season look rather easy, because he knew the throw was coming so far in advance he had plenty of time to step in front of the receiver. His technique, specifically his footwork, is also impeccable. He doesn't waste many steps. He also displayed an impressive ability to defend jump balls against bigger, taller receivers.

Simply put, Hallman is a ballhawk. He couples tremendous ball skills with great instincts, and put it all on display last season with his flurry of takeaways. Interceptions can be a misleading stat, as they're not always the mark of a good cornerback. They can be the result of many things, from target volume to sheer luck. Dig deeper into Hallman's 2023 campaign, however, and you'll find that he didn't mask poor or mediocre play with interceptions — far from it. Hallman was easily Wisconsin's most-targeted cornerback, but he also posted the lowest reception percentage allowed (50.8 percent) of any Badgers corner. Throwing his way was a gamble at best.

Despite his proclivity for lockdown coverage, Hallman's size and lack of physicality does come back to bite him from time to time. He missed 12 tackles last season, per Pro Football Focus, which was the most by any Badgers' defensive back. He doesn't appear averse to getting his hands dirty and making a tackle; he just doesn't always bring the ball-carrier to the ground.

"Just take more steps as a leader," Hallman said this spring when asked where he wants to grow his game in 2024. "I feel like a lot of times I relied on my play instead of getting guys acclimated. Communication, I wanna take another step in that. Better tackling, all that."

Wisconsin has a deeper cornerback room than it has the past handful of seasons, meaning if necessary, Hallman could be spelled for a drive or series here and there. Regardless, it's very hard to see that happening except for a few specific circumstances. In a perfect world, the Badgers might never take their shutdown corner off the field.

Hallman's breakout performance last fall had him considering giving the NFL a shot this offseason.

"I took that into consideration a lot. Had a lot of tough conversations with Coach Fickell and Coach (Paul) Haynes as well," he said. "Hearing from different scouts, different projections, just kinda getting a feel for it."

Now, he'll return to headline a secondary that, with the presence of Hunter Wohler and the overall returning experience, could be a special one. Hallman will man the starting field corner spot opposite Nyzier Fourqurean on the boundary. His feistiness in coverage and propensity for picking off passes makes him one of the most important players on this roster.

What will Hallman do for an encore after his seven-interception season? Again, interceptions can be volatile, but the majority of Hallman's picks don't happen by accident. He baits quarterbacks and cuts routes with intent. While he might not hit seven again, a generous handful of interceptions should be in store for the cornerback once again.

Hallman is a critical piece for the Badgers in 2024, not only as a ballhawk and shutdown cover man, but also as a veteran defensive leader for a unit still trying to find itself in year two of the Mike Tressel era.

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