Wisconsin Badgers 2024 Spring Position Preview: Cornerbacks

As Luke Fickell's second act in Madison draws closer, BadgerBlitz.com will break down Wisconsin's roster position by position ahead of spring camp, which is slated to take place from March 22 to May 2.

BadgerBlitz.com is once again expected to watch any open practices available for reporters to attend. Thus, our position previews continue Saturday with the cornerbacks, a unit that's led by returning ballhawk Ricardo Hallman.

PREVIEWS: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | TIGHT ENDS | WIDE RECEIVERS | OFFENSIVE LINE | DEFENSIVE LINE | OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS | INSIDE LINEBACKERS |

The Badgers are set to deploy one of their deepest cornerback rooms in recent memory, largely due to a myriad of young talent waiting hungrily in the wings.

The position starts, however, with junior field cornerback Ricardo "Rico" Hallman. He had a breakout campaign last fall; his seven interceptions were tied for tops in the nation. While interceptions can be a fluky stat that doesn't always paint the most accurate picture of how good a defensive back really is, Hallman proved beyond a shadow of a doubt the player he is. Aside from his interceptions, he had the lowest reception percentage allowed of any of Wisconsin's corners. What he lacks in size, he makes up for with excellent footwork, technique and a knack for finding the football.

The likely favorite to open camp opposite Hallman as the starting boundary corner is Nyzier Fourqurean. Standing at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, he's one of the Badgers' bigger corners and the staff appears to like him in the boundary side press technique role. Fourqurean, who transferred from Division-II Grand Valley State, had his ups and downs in his first season in Madison. Regardless, he displayed a certain competitiveness and willingness to tackle that ultimately helped him usurp Alexander Smith from his regular role outside.

In the slot, the Badgers need to replace starting nickel corner Jason Maitre. He played nearly every snap in the slot in 2023; Wisconsin didn't feel especially comfortable with what it had behind him. The slot position should be a different story this season.

Wisconsin brought in another one-year rental via the portal, ex-Toledo cornerback RJ Delancy. The former Rocket essentially split his time between the slot and the outside last season, but the Badgers figure to deploy him on the inside. Toledo's defensive backfield was stacked last fall, and Delancy is quietly coming off a very impressive season — he allowed a reception percentage of just 37.5. He wasn't the most heralded transfer Wisconsin brought in, but he certainly has a chance to be one of the most impactful.

Max Lofy and Michael Mack are two other players who should see reps in the slot this spring. Lofy was injured last season and Mack was ineligible to play after transferring from Air Force. Between Delancy and those two, the Badgers' nickel corner spot should be in much better hands than it was a season ago.

Jonas Duclona and Jace Arnold are both true sophomores. Of the two, Duclona was utilized in coverage, and he got invaluable experience being able to see the field as a true freshman. It's reasonable to expect both players to make a leap this fall.

This spring should also mark the first legit action we see from the rest of Wisconsin's freshman cornerback class from a season ago. Amare Snowden, Justin Taylor and AJ Tisdell figure to begin to work their way up the defensive back pecking order this April.

Overall, the Badgers' cornerback room looks like their most promising on defense apart from the inside linebackers. There's a proven star, a returning starter, a talented transfer and a bevy of young players.

After the season he had in 2023, Hallman has all but locked up the starting field corner spot. Across from him, Fourqurean played valiantly last fall, but there's no reason to think he won't face competition from the rest of Wisconsin's deep cornerback room.

There's a few likely candidates to compete with Fourqurean. Mack, with his 6-foot-1 frame, has the size Wisconsin is looking for at the position. Especially if Delancy and Lofy appear capable of holding down the slot rotation, the staff may look to play Mack outside and give him a chance to unseat Fourqurean.

Duclona, with the experience he gained last year, is another potential candidate to compete for reps on the outside. He's slightly shorter at 5-foot-11, but the staff clearly has a lot of confidence in his capabilities. Last spring, Duclona made a name for himself with his highly competitive demeanor.

A sleeper could be the redshirt freshman Snowden. More on him below.

There's a case to be made that Snowden is the most intriguing player in Wisconsin's cornerback room. The former Rivals250 corner had a staggering 42 offers coming out of Roseville, Mich. At 6-foot-4, he possesses phenomenal length and size for the position. When the Badgers landed Snowden, it was a sign of how Fickell has already changed the perception of the program — before the new era, the Badgers' would've been hard-pressed to land a prototypical corner who can't help but conjure images of another Fickell product, Sauce Gardner.

Snowden didn't enroll early last year, and thus didn't participate in spring practice. By the time he got to campus in the summer, much of the cornerback rotation was already set in stone. Snowden didn't see many reps in practice and wound up taking a redshirt freshman year. With a year in Madison under his belt, the young corner should begin to compete for reps this spring.

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