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 with the cornerbacks.

RELATED: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | DEFENSIVE LINEMEN | OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS | INSIDE LINEBACKERS

Xavier Lucas.

When Nyzier Fourqurean was asked about the freshmen cornerbacks early in fall camp, he was in the middle of giving a standard answer before making a sudden declaration.

“We have a lot of very good freshmen. Xavier Lucas is gonna be a star. All of them are gonna be stars, but Xavier Lucas, I’m very excited to see what he does.”

Lucas was a four-star recruit from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, who chose the Badgers over schools like Florida State, Oregon State and a few Big Ten schools. His athletic profile and intelligence make him one of the most intriguing prospects the Badgers have acquired in years, and it didn’t take long at all for him to essentially make the second team, even alongside a veteran like R.J. Delancy.

Such a meteoric rise led to some effusive praise of Lucas throughout fall camp.

“I’m super high on Xavier, I think he’s done a great job getting acclimated, getting more reps. His reps are starting to intensify because the coaches are seeing the same thing we’re seeing,” Ricardo Hallman said in early August.

“I tell him all the time that I think he can play some critical snaps for us this year and I think he will. It’s just up to him to live up to that potential, but I think he has all the tools you’d want in a corner.”

When asked which true freshmen had the best shot of earning reps in their first year, Lucas was the only defensive name Luke Fickell would give, calling him “a kid on the outside we’re gonna have to find a way to play”.

And in the transfer portal era of college football, it’s not hyperbolic to say that they really will have to play him. But from the early returns, it seems as if his playing time will be warranted.

Nothing?

This might be the only position group on the roster without a clear weakness, only minor grievances.

The starters have each dealt with an injury over the past couple years. Two of the three starters — Hallman and Max Lofy — are 5-foot-10 and less than 190 pounds. The backups aren’t as experienced as the coaching staff would maybe want.

But that’s really it. They’re strong at the top, deep and have the perfect balance of veterans and youth.

The group is led by Hallman, who proved himself last season as one of the best cornerbacks in the country.

The true ex-factor for the room this year will be Fourqurean, who’s now had a full healthy offseason and looks night-and-day better than he did last season, physically.

Lofy has been with the first team at slot corner since spring camp and was one of the standouts of the offseason, especially considering how often he had to face Will Pauling.

They’ll have the luxury of being able to bring Delancy off of the bench to play either inside or out, who is a far better backup option than they had last season.

Almost every room on the team has improved in some way, and the cornerbacks have gotten better in multiple areas.

How many players should they use?

The Badgers only really used four cornerbacks last season — Hallman, Fourqurean, Jason Maitre in the slot and Alexander Smith off the bench. They probably didn’t even completely trust these four, as Smith experienced his fair share of struggles.

However, they actually have options this year. In my estimate, there are seven players in this room who would’ve earned significant snaps last season — Hallman, Fourqurean, Lofy, Delancy, Lucas, Jonas Duclona and Amare Snowden.

It feels fairly certain they’ll lean on the top-three starters, plus Delancy and Lucas. Duclona and Snowden are two returning players who have made noticeable improvements over the offseason, but they’re still somewhat buried.

This wasn’t as big of a problem pre-transfer portal era. But Duclona and Snowden are good enough to play at a major program. They could seek that playing time out before it comes to them.

On top of the young talent already on the roster, the Badgers have two cornerbacks currently committed in their 2025 class. They’ve continued to recruit players who they see as “multiple," as both 2025 corners are also capable of playing safety.

Jahmare Washington chose Wisconsin over Michigan and Kansas, among other schools. The three-star prospect is raw but brings intriguing upside to the cornerback position.

However, three-star Fredericksburg, Virginia native Remington Moss might be a better athlete, with a 6-foot-2 frame and the ability to run a 4.5 40-yard-dash, bench 300 pounds and squat 400.

There have even been some recent reports that three-star SMU commit Zadian Gentry is considering a flip to the Badgers.

All in all, the future is bright in the cornerback room.

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