MADISON - Following the conclusion of fall camp, BadgerBlitz.com will take a look at each position group and where they stand with the final phase of the offseason wrapping up.

We'll continue our defensive overviews by examining the cornerbacks, a group defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard called his deepest ever.

RELATED: QUARTERBACKS | SAFETIES | RUNNING BACKS I INSIDE LINEBACKERS | WIDE RECEIVERS |

Wisconsin has a new-look cornerback room for 2022, but optimism is as high as ever about this group. With the addition of three transfers — Jay Shaw, Cedrick Dort Jr. and Justin Clark - the Badgers brought in key experience to counteract the departure of their top three corners from a season ago.

The competition to step into the roles Faion Hicks, Caesar Willams and Dean Engram played last year was as advertised in fall camp. Unfortunately, injuries derailed the competition slightly, as Alex Smith, Justin Clark and Max Lofy all missed time during fall practices. Cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat should still have a good idea of what he's working with, though, and the cornerback hierarchy is much clearer than it was at the onset of fall ball.

Ricardo Hallman: The redshirt freshman has been nothing short of impressive for the duration of fall camp. Injuries to Smith and Clark, the former of which was tabbed the "leader" of the room by Poteat, opened the door for Hallman to receive serious snaps with the first team. Towards the back end of fall camp, Hallman was consistently running with the ones along with Shaw.

“Last year, I didn’t play much, and I think that was really a great step for me. Just to sit back, learn our defense, learn how I can put myself in the best position when I get that chance," Hallman told BadgerBlitz.com.

That mindset has been working for the corner, and now, still within his freshman eligibility, he has the chance to be a full-time starter. Hallman is the perfect example of a guy who patiently waited his turn, and before long, his ability and work ethic put him in a position to be extremely successful. Yes, the transfer additions to the secondary were important to shore up experience issues, but it's great to see the Badgers' home-grown talent making some noise.

How did Hallman begin to stand out and rise to the top of this loaded cornerback room?

“Consistency, consistency, consistency. Every single day, making sure your bad rep is not as bad as another person's bad rep," the corner said.

Jay Shaw: Before the cornerback depth chart was even close to being determined, Shaw was generally expected to be somewhere near the top. He was considered the most talented of the three transfer corners, and was a second-team All-PAC-12 player in 2021.

Shaw's reputation precedes him, and his play during fall camp backed up all the hype. Shaw ran with the ones all camp, and made a few beautiful pass deflections in the practices open to reporters. Often attached at the hip to the receiver he's guarding, Shaw has great eyes and instincts.

Shaw didn't see the field much during spring ball. For someone that didn't get a lot of time to show what he can do, he's made the most of it. With how many cornerbacks appear game-ready, there could be more of a rotation than what we saw last year. Regardless, Shaw should consistently be among the top.

Alex Smith: Smith is an unfortunate entry in this section, mostly because he's here for factors out of his control. Smith sustained an injury sometime in the first few practices of fall, and didn't gear up for the remainder of the camp. Reporters never got to see him suited up and participating.

Smith established himself as one of the premier corners in the room during spring ball, and Poteat described him as the "leader" of the group without hesitation. His reputation is established, but he's now fallen behind the group in terms of reps and preparation. Skill-wise, Smith is still amongst the cream of the crop. But it may take him several weeks to rejoin the regular corner rotation as he works his way back from injury.

What will the rotation look like at corner this fall? This one is pretty simple. We know who's near the top of the depth chart, and who still has come climbing to do. Last season, Leonhard primarily used three cornerbacks in coverage situations. With how deep the staff perceives this room to be, it makes sense to expect a greater rotation of players at the position.

“Rotation will happen based on the trust level," Poteat said at the onset of camp. "We’ll see as camp goes on; there may be some packages, there may be some rotation here and there, but that’s yet to be determined.”

One of the biggest factors in determining how the rotation will look is determining who will play in the slot. The primary contenders right now look like Dort and Clark. They've both displayed the versatility needed to play in the slot, while also rotating to the outside. Coaches could tinker with the packages as they determine how to maximize their corners, but ultimately, it should come down to Poteat's simple philosophy:

“I feel like if you fit that description the best, I’m gonna put you there.”

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