As Luke Fickell's third 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 13 to April 24.

BadgerBlitz.com is once again expected to watch any open practices available for reporters to attend. Thus, our position previews wrap up Wednesday with the safeties, a unit under new direction in position coach Jack Cooper.

SPRING POSITION PREVIEWS: QBs | RBs | TEs | WRs | OL | DL | OLBs | ILBs | CBs

The new safeties coach Cooper inherits a safety room that returns one of its starters from last fall in Preston Zachman but must replace the Swiss Army Knife-like capabilities of Hunter Wohler, who is off the the NFL.

Zachman's return solidifies him as the top safety in the room. He's coming off a career year that saw him record 58 tackles, two interceptions and four pass-breakups. He's a cerebral, intelligent player who's made a name for himself by being at the right place at the right time. His missed tackle rate of 8.6 percent, per Pro Football Focus, was the second lowest amongst Badger defensive backs with at least 20 tackles.

The lowest missed tackle rate? Austin Brown (5.4 percent), who also returns as a senior. He was Wisconsin's primary nickel back, playing 266 snaps in the slot, easily the most on the team. This defensive regime has historically liked him in the slot, and given the Badgers lack of a true nickel cornerback on the roster, Brown staying put in the slot makes lots of sense. Last season, Brown had 51 tackles, one sack, three pass-breakups, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

That leaves another starting safety spot up for grabs, and the most likely candidates are both incoming transfers from lower levels of the sport: Matt Jung (D-III Bethel) and Matthew Traynor (FCS Richmond).

Jung was a big fish in a small pond at Bethel, tallying an absurd stat-line of 181 tackles, 16 interceptions (six for scores), 19 pass breakups and 3.5 sacks in two seasons. He'll be a redshirt junior after three years at the Division-III level. Will his playmaking translate to Big Ten football? That's a massive question mark.

Traynor started for Richmond in 2024 and logged 44 tackles, two interceptions and three pass-breakups. He's a versatile defensive back who split his time between the box and the back end last season. He figures to be more of a strong safety, while Jung projects as a centerfield-style ballhawk.

Next up in terms of scholarship players is redshirt freshman Raphael Dunn. He didn't see the field on defense at all last season. The former three-star recruit from New Jersey projects as a "dollar" option for the Badgers, or the safety/linebacker hybrid in defensive coordinator Mike Tressel's scheme.

The three true freshman all enrolled early: Luke Emmerich, Grant Dean and Remington Moss. There won't be many snaps available, especially with a couple of upperclassmen walk-ons, but it'll be interesting to see who emerges from that group.

The aforementioned walk-ons, redshirt junior Charlie Jarvis and fifth-year senior Owen Arnett, could both feasibly push for a spot in the two-deep with how many question marks are in this room. Mason Lane, another walk-on, returns as well.

Predicting if any transfer will pan out in their new location can often be a fools' errand, let alone a transfer from the FCS or D-III level. There's simply so many factors that determine which transfers thrive and those that don't. Still, Wisconsin has a pretty good track record of scouting players from lower levels of the sport in recent seasons.

Exhibit A: Elijah Hills. The FCS Albany transfer took a little while to come on in spring practice, but he began to make plays here and there and developed into Wisconsin's best defensive lineman during the 2024 season. He may have played at the FCS level, but his quickness and motor translated to the Big Ten quite well.

Exhibit B: Nyzier Fourqurean. The former D-II All-American and Grand Valley State was a playable starter in 2023 and an above-average one in 2024. His length and physicality helped him develop into a stingy corner who ins't afraid to come downhill and tackle.

Can Jung and Traynor make similar jumps? Wisconsin is banking on it.

This is an easy one. The returnees in this room are mostly known quantities, and the two transfer newcomers are naturally the most intriguing. Jung takes the crown for the player to watch, however, and it's easy to see why.

Jung's stat-line (namely the 16 interceptions across two seasons, six of which he took to the house) would be nearly preposterous if it didn't occur at the D-III level. Regardless of the level of competition, you don't record those kind of stats without having some natural ball-hawking ability and speed. Those are the kinds of skills that, in theory, should translate to Madison.

At a listed 6-foot-3, 216 pounds on Wisconsin's spring roster, Jung is the biggest safety in the room besides the freshman Dunn, both by height and weight. It'll be interesting to see how he looks on the other side of a Brady Collins winter strength and conditioning program. But how is he deployed? Where does he line up on defense? Does he run with the starters? Does he pick off any passes? He'll be a fascinating player to track.

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