With the conclusion of spring practices, BadgerBlitz.com will be evaluating each position group as we head into the summer.

After breaking down the safeties yesterday, we’re turning our attention to their secondary counterparts: the cornerbacks.

This was a really tough decision. Omillio Agard and Geimere Latimer have been two of the biggest risers on the team, let alone cornerbacks.

But since Latimer is slated for a starting role, I’ll lean his way. If you’ve been keeping up with BadgerBlitz.com’s coverage of spring practice, you’ll already have a good idea of what Latimer brings to the field.

If this is your introduction to the Jacksonville State transfer, I’ll point you to cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes’ description: “a Rottweiler with teeth.”

Latimer began the spring as a backup cornerback on the boundary, but it didn’t take long for the coaching staff to give him a chance at the nickel. Once he got the opportunity, Latimer never looked back, appearing to secure the starting spot.

He’s a true attack dog in the running game and is a physical player who can also hold his own in coverage. Part of what made his ascension to the starting nickel spot so surprising is how little he played the position last season. He saw a handful of snaps in the slot in most games, but never saw significant action until Jacksonville State’s bowl game.

Still, his physical traits and skillset seem like a perfect fit for the position. If he can parlay a strong spring into an equally good, if not better, fall camp, there should be plenty of excitement about the starting cornerbacks in 2025.

The Badgers' other 2025 transfer corner finds himself heading in the opposite direction as Latimer. D'yoni Hill, coming over from Miami (FL), started in six games during 2024 but has had to compete for snaps with the second team this spring.

Performance aside, Hill’s stock has been trending downward for months. He committed to Wisconsin when it seemed like Nyzier Fourqurean would be ineligible and Ricardo Hallman could be headed to the NFL. With both coming back, he was going to face an uphill battle for a starting role. Although he had a couple of good practices early on, he didn’t do enough in the spring to earn more reps, and with Latimer and Agard’s ascension, Hill doesn’t have a clear path to regular-season snaps.

Can Nyzier Fourqurean Take A Step Forward?

Fourqurean is still waiting for an official ruling on his eligibility for 2025, but he and Luke Fickell seem to be confident they’ll get a positive result, so I’ll operate under the assumption we’ll be seeing him on Saturdays this fall.

I view him as the key to unlocking the secondary’s elite upside. The safety duo of Preston Zachman and Austin Brown is strong, and we already know what Ricardo Hallman is. I hold some uncertainty about Fourqurean in 2025.

Pro Football Focus graded Fourqurean as the 27th-best corner in the Big Ten in 2024 – a solid ranking, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. In spring, he had difficulties containing Jayden Ballard. The Ohio State transfer was one of biggest standouts in camp and a true speedster, but Fourqurean got beat deep time and time again.

He did win some reps against Ballard, and had some great plays mixed in throughout camp, but the consistency just wasn’t there. “Hallman Island” isn’t going anywhere, and if Fourqurean can make the leap to the next level Wisconsin could have one of the best cornerback duos in the conference – one that’s good enough to anchor the entire defense.

Wisconsin welcomed in two early enrollees, four-star Jai’mier Scott and two-star Cairo Skanes, and will have another new face joining the program this summer in four-star Jahmare Washington.

Scott, Rivals.com’s highest rated recruit of the bunch, had a strong spring. He has a nose for the football and broke up several passes throughout the 15 practices, including one in Wisconsin’s Spring Showcase. Skanes also had some flashes, including a diving interception to pair with some pass breakups and a quarterback pressure.

Washington is a player I’m particularly eager to see take the field once he gets to Madison. His length and fluidity stood out in both man and zone coverage during high school, and Washington’s past as a wide receiver signals how unique his skillset is.

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