Over the next two weeks, BadgerBlitz.com will be bringing you snapshots for each recruited position, covering the targets who are legitimate prospects on Wisconsin's board in the 2023 class. We will discuss the candidates who are most interested in the Badgers, as well as those who are considered long shots to commit to UW.
As always, this is just a snapshot in time and things remain fluid. Additional offered targets will appear over the next few months and some recruits will inevitably choose other colleges.
Today, we continue with a look at the cornerbacks.
QUICK BREAKDOWN
Cornerback is one of the deeper positions on the 2021 roster, but the group will look different come spring camp. Multi-year starters Caesar Williams and Faion Hicks will likely be working towards a shot in the NFL, while reserve Deron Harrell has the option to return for a sixth year at UW.
Alex Smith and Dean Engram were the next duo behind Williams and Hicks during spring camp, but Donte Burton, Amaun Williams and Semar Melvin have all been mentioned at times this fall.
"I would say we're still at the position [where] we love a lot of guys," coordinator Jim Leonhard told reporters earlier this week. "A lot of snaps in that next group of guys, but I wouldn't say anyone's just been head and shoulders. I feel like it's rotated a little bit. One guy'll have a good day or two guys will have a good day, you know, and then maybe the next day, you don't see him. But I feel like as a group they're playing well."
In the 2022 class, position coach Hank Poteat helped land commitments from three-star prospects Avyonne Jones and A'Khoury Lyde. Taking two more in the following cycle seems realistic, especially with Williams, a current walk-on, performing like a scholarship corner this fall.
OFFERED TARGETS
Wisconsin was the first school to offer 2023 cornerback Jack Tchienchou back in April. The Badgers were expected to host the standout from Atlanta this summer, but that trip was pushed back.
"It felt great," Tchienchou told BadgerBlitz.com. "It made me feel like my hard work is paying off. I couldn’t stop smiling - I truly feel blessed. Now I have to continue working with eyes on me. Coach Poteat said that he really liked my film and that he knows how special that first offer is. He felt that I had earned it."
