MADISON – Falling short of championship expectations in 2021, the University of Wisconsin looks to return to the top of the Big Ten West Division.

The Badgers will have some familiar faces on offense but will have some work to do to improve a unit that has averaged less than 26 points per game the last two seasons. Wisconsin’s defense was No.1 in the country last season in total yardage and against the run, but the Badgers must replace eight starters. UW also is dealing with changes to its special teams and has revamped its coaching staff.

All of it breathes excitement (and some nervous energy) leading into the season opener against FCS opponent Illinois State at Camp Randall Stadium (6 p.m./FS1).

With Wisconsin beginning fall camp later this month, BadgerBlitz.com begins its position-by-position breakdown of the fall roster. We continue our analysis with the cornerbacks.

Fall Previews: Quarterbacks | Running backs and fullbacks | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Offensive line | Defensive Line | Outside Linebackers | Inside Linebackers |

Wisconsin cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat got off easy in 2021. In his first year with the program, Poteat coached a pair of multi-year senior starters in Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams, a duo who earned All-Big Ten honors and helped rank the defense fourth nationally in pass efficiency defense. In his second year with the program, Poteat will have to work harder to earn his paycheck.

With Hicks and Williams in the NFL, and others transferring from the program or switching positions, Wisconsin has remade its cornerback room with three transfers - Justin Clark (Toledo), Jay Shaw (UCLA), and Cedrick Dort, Jr. (Kentucky) – all of whom appeared in spring like a trio ready to make an impact.

Combine those veteran players with senior Alexander Smith and the Badgers appear to have a solid four-man group.

“What I've seen in the three transfers is just the veteran maturity,” Poteat said. “Their presence of just understanding ball, playing in a lot of big games against a lot of good competition, and they really have a feel for the game, feel for situations. So those are some of the things that we were looking for, just having some veteran guys. Just have a mix, because we have a lot of young DBs, a lot of young corners. So just having a good mix of veteran guys that some of the younger guys can learn, they can help prepare them for their time.”

That veteran presence should help a younger group of players transition into bigger roles. Junior Semar Melvin has played in 15 games over the last three seasons, sophomore Max Lofy played eight games in his first season, sophomore walk-on Amaun Williams played one game in 2021, Ricardo Hallman played in three games (one tackle) before redshirting, and Al Ashford redshirted the entire season.

That group is joined by 2022 signees Avyonne Jones and A'Khoury Lyde as mid-year enrollees.

Not only does Clark bring experience to Wisconsin, the seventh-year senior brings a familiarity with Poteat, who recruited Clark out of Michigan and coached him for four years at Toledo. Under his tutelage, Clark registered 86 tackles and four interceptions in 34 games. Last year as a starter, Clark played in 13 games and finished with 28 tackles, three tackles for loss, and an interception.

Although he has played both inside and outside, he spent the spring guarding UW receiver Chimere Dike as a slot cornerback and showed off his speed, length, and ability to space the field.

“One of his strengths is his attention to detail and awareness of game situation,” Poteat said. “He understands spacing, formations. He's a smart player outside of him just being a really good athlete. So I'm really excited to have him. He's a player that I trust because I've had him for a long time and I know him personally. I know some of the things that he can do to help this team.”

As sign of his standing within the cornerbacks room, Smith was briefed by Poteat throughout the process of Wisconsin exploring the transfer market. With Poteat calling Smith the leader of the room, largely because of the seniors 36 games (two starts) at Wisconsin, the cornerback has elevated his game to another level by playing faster, smarter and being the team’s most consistent corner.

“He's probably my smartest DB. He can play every position in the secondary,” Poteat said. “He's getting reps at nickel, corner, safety, because he can absorb that information. He's very coachable when I see him out here. Individual drills, he's actually taking that drill and applying it into real ball.”

Shaw, the former second-team All-Pac 12 selection by the Associated Press in 2021, worked as a first-team corner alongside Smith before an abdominal injury caused him to miss some time. Brought on Wisconsin’s radar by Hicks, the sixth-year cornerback plays with what Poteat labels a “dog mentality” and will likely play plenty of snaps in UW’s various packages.

“I saw how he was in your face,” Poteat said. “I saw how he played with a lot of confidence. He has great feet. You want to have that type of player in your room because it's contagious. You know, him challenging receivers, challenging players within the room, and everybody's just gravitating to that mentality outside of me actually preaching it. I love that part of him of just being aggressive and competing, and just having confidence about himself.

“You could see it on the tape. You can see when someone's just an athlete, but sometimes a guy who's just a great athlete, some of them's not always confident, but you can see that through him. I love that about him.”

Dort Jr., who came to Madison as a graduate transfer from Kentucky, was asked by Leonhard to do “some different things” schematically than he has in the past. Dort Jr. has played a lot of SEC football (44 games with 25 starts) and has been successful with 51 tackles, seven pass breakups and a forced fumble.

When Shaw went down with his abdominal injury, Hallman assumed first-up duties in Wisconsin's nickel package alongside Smith as outside cornerbacks with Clark in the slot. The South Florida native received those reps through the end of spring and did not look out of place.

Williams has "probably been one of the most consistent playmakers on defense," according to Leonhard. The Milwaukee native worked both on the outside and the inside in the slot, as well as Lofy, who made three tackles in eight games last season working more as a nickel safety.

“He's continuing to elevate his game,” Poteat said of Lofy. “Really good athlete, has great feet, and we just continue to work on his tempo, his control. Just being able to control himself because he's so fast and so athletic, and once he can control himself, he's gonna play even faster. I really like him.”

Ashford working in the spring after an arm injury that cost him all last season was encouraging, but Melvin (who did not participate in any 11-on-11 work during open practices) and Lyde missing time in the spring puts them in catch-up mode.

One player who did take advantage was Jones, the three-star true freshman who was a part of a Southlake (TX) Carroll program that advanced to the Texas 6A Division I state title game as a junior and state semifinals last season. Working at both safety and corner, Jones was labeled a “football junkie” by Leonhard during the spring.

“He likes to understand scheme and kind of the big picture,” he said of Jones. “As we recruited him, we felt like that leads to the ability to play nickel, the ability to play safety. I think he's figuring out the game, the speed of the game. He understands his ability and where he's at physically right now. You're loading him up with the communication and the adjustments of playing safety, being in the run fits a little bit more, being down in the box. That's stuff that he really hasn't done.

"And my challenge always to these freshmen, and especially the mid-years, I go just how fast can you just turn this tape on and start laughing at it because you realize like, 'Man, I just didn't know what I was doing. I was just kind of running around trying to make plays.' I don't care how much success they have early in their careers. That's what you want, like challenging yourself to just continue to learn it so you can play fast and play confident."

Poteat spent parts of spring practices pushing his players to learn the nickel position and mixing and matching certain defenses. That will give UW tremendous flexibility if guys can show they can be responsible at multiple spots. In the end, however, the Badgers going out and getting three experienced, established starters at cornerback will determine whether the position sinks or swims.

One of the best things about the transfer portal is that it can help plug gaps in a roster, and there’s no question the Badgers accomplished that with Clark, Dort, and Shaw. Can they be even better than Hicks and Williams? Can they generate more interceptions and limit chunk plays? Will they help UW’s defense – inexperienced in multiple spots up the middle – get off the field on third down? All these questions need to be yeses if Wisconsin wants to compete for a Big Ten West Division title this season.

_________________________________________________

*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den

*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel

*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)

*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45, @pete_brey12

*Like us on Facebook