MADISON, Wis.- For members of the University of Wisconsin football team participating in spring camp this year, standing across from redshirt freshman Faion Hicks can be intimidating.

During drills, the 5-foot-10, 183-pound cornerback occasionally dons a mouth guard boasting sharp, white fangs. Although it is yet to be seen how much fear Hicks can strike into opponents, he’s certainly ready to take a bite out of any opportunities that may come his way in 2018.

“The goal is definitely to find a starting role and become a leader, a young leader on this team for years to come,” Hicks told BadgerBlitz.com. “Just to become that guy, become that better football player and learn as much as I can.”

The 19-year-old from Miami, Fla., has been trying to “become that guy” ever since a left shoulder injury derailed his first chapter on campus. As a result, the former early enrollee from UW’s 2017 recruiting class spent most of spring ball and fall camp on the sidelines last season.

“It was tough, you know, coming in and you have to get surgery,” Hicks said. “Mentally it was tough, physically it was tough and it was just about having the right people around me.”

In his short tenure at Wisconsin, Hicks has surrounded himself with like-minded people. However, when his search for injury guidance began, he had to look no further than fellow defensive back and senior veteran D’Cota Dixon. His [Dixon] freshman season was also sideswiped because of injury, and he experienced a nagging right leg injury in 2017.

“I just kind of got with D’Cota [Dixon] because he had the same type of injury and I asked him how he dealt with it and stuff like that,” Hicks said. “But it was tough, mentally, not being on the field and being able to contribute.”

Although Hicks was frustrated, he recognizes he found solace knowing there was another dimension to his game that received his full attention off the field.

“It was definitely the mental part of the game, like learning the playbook,” Hicks said of how he worked his way back into the game. “You know, just watching the other guys and trying to put in my mind that I can’t make the same mistakes. So, when I went out on the field, I already knew what was going on because I had the time to go ahead in the playbook, watch the guys and have those mental reps.

“That helps you on the physical reps.”

Hicks could only spend so much time watching film and taking note of his teammates from afar. So when the time came for him to tie the knots back on his cleats, it was quite the experience.

“The biggest adjustment [after coming back from injury] I would have to say is gaining confidence in attacking guys,” he said. “As far as covering receivers and stuff like that, sitting back and watching all those reps is something that actually helped me. But, getting back into the speed of the game and attacking was something I had to adjust to.”

Although Hicks did not see action on the field during Wisconsin’s historic 2017 season, he confesses there was little he had to do to assimilate back into the coastal environment of his hometown for the 2017 Orange Bowl.

However, he did have a confession to make.

“It was definitely exciting [to go to Miami for the Orange Bowl]. I had my family come and watch, plus there are some bragging rights back home,” Hicks said. “I grew up a Miami fan, and Miami football was the first football I ever knew. Growing up in Miami, it was all about the Canes.

“But I’m a Wisconsin fan now.”

For Hicks, playing against Hurricanes in front of his family was a dream come true. Fast forward to the present, and Hicks knows it is time to do everything he can to reach that goal of seeing the field as a starter.

“Right now, they got me working with kick returns, and I’m just trying to get extra reps,” he said. “[Special teams] is just another way to make plays and get out there.”

As Hicks works through a healthy spring camp, he is fortunate to have an extra grasp surrounding the expectations of special teams, as he was a member of the kick return unit on his high school football team.

“Some of my favorite players played on punt returns and kick returns, like Devin Hester,” he said. "So, you know, I just want to incorporate that into my game and I thought that [special teams] was interesting.”

After spending a short amount of time with Hicks, one might conclude the freshman lives and breathes football. However, Hicks reveals football is not the only activity he enjoys passionately.

“I’m actually a big chess guy. Growing up, I went to chess tournaments and I started in elementary school,” he said. “I actually started the first chess team ever in one of my high schools.”

Although Hicks said he doesn’t have a lot of time to play chess as a full-time student-athlete, he enjoys competing against opponents on his phone.

Whether Hicks was discussing football, his family or chess, a smile lit up on his face as he suggested the parts of his life he finds important. That’s the type of personality he shares with his teammates.

As for Hicks’s opponents, all they will see is a player armed to the teeth - even as part of his uniform.

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Jonathan Mills covers Wisconsin football and basketball for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter @therealJMlLLS