MADISON, WIS. -- Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard spoke with reporters on Saturday after the program's eighth fall camp practice. The former walk-on turned All-American, 10-year NFL vet and now leader of the Badgers' defense chatted with reporters about a variety of topics this past weekend regarding his unit.
Answers have been edited lightly for clarity.
On safeties Scott Nelson and Collin Wilder, how their relationship off the field manifests on the field:
Leonhard: Yeah, I think you see the communication. Obviously, you notice they watch a ton of tape together, and they talk. So as soon as the offense breaks a huddle, you see them communicating kind of what they've talked about -- or even before the offense breaks a huddle -- you see that communication starting, which is huge between safeties because not only are they thinking big picture -- what the offense is doing -- they're also communicating with multiple levels to our defense. So you see that comfort level that they have with each other and how easily they communicate.
On true freshman Hunter Wohler, how he has picked up the defense and early impressions:
Leonhard: He has. You know, I've been impressed obviously, physically moves really well. Smooth, great size. Gonna get to the point of camp now where you show the physicality a little bit more, but he's had very few mental errors. It's just cleaning things up. We've pushed a lot of different things at these guys early, see what they can handle knowing that it's gonna continue to get tighter and easier for them. But I like the way he's handled it, and hopefully you see him just continue to rise as camp goes on.
On another true freshman, Darryl Peterson, and what he has seen from him where he has been able to receive reps with Nick Herbig and other contributors from the years' past:
Leonhard: No. 1, you see he understood his job, right? He was able to play his responsibilities and get to the physical part of the game really fast, and he moved up quickly because of that. And now he's getting in there with those older groups with a bigger menu of what we asked. Just has to continue to push the mental side of the game, because physically, he's got a great motor and is very physical, uses his hands well.
So love the way he started. He's got a long way to go to be impactful this season, but he's off to a great start.
On outside linebacker Spencer Lytle and what he has showed Leonhard:
Leonhard: I think you go back to the spring for Spence, and he took a huge jump. Just first stretch that he was really available for a long stretch, and you saw the growth that he took in the spring and the confidence he gained from it, and he's carried that over to fall camp, and you're seeing kind of where he ended the spring off. He started off Day 1 in that position and hopefully continues to grow. The main thing is gaining confidence in all of his skills and what he can bring to us.
On how many outside linebackers Leonhard feels good about and players he feels he can trust:
Leonhard: Hard to say. I think that we're gonna have a lot more depth at the position than we felt like we did last year. You know, we felt last year we got into a rut where we weren't making as many splash plays, and part of that came from guys playing a little bit more than maybe you wanted to. We didn't have as much depth as we wanted, and the challenge to that group is to to take that next step as an entire group. It's been frustrating not having a couple guys getting many reps yet to this point, but we expect the next week, week-and-a-half for that competition really to rise and for those guys to push themselves to really separate and find out who it's going to be.
On defensive line Rodas Johnson and James Thompson Jr., what each can provide and what Leonhard likes about them:
Leonhard: First of all with Rodas, high energy. Plays with a ton of effort, it's just trying to tighten him up. He still does some things that will get you beat. Just comes from a great place, being aggressive and trying to make things happen.
Just got to tighten up his techniques a little bit, but he's gonna bring a lot of energy to the field when he comes, which is a lot of fun. And so that's his focus right now is just the consistency aspect of it.
James Thompson is obviously a guy last season, we started to feel really good about, and then the injury happened. So trying to be smart with him and work him back on the pace he should be and hopefully have him ready to have a bigger workload once Week 1 starts. But just trying to be smart because the physical side, he does some impressive things with that big frame. Hopefully, we have him just continue to grow because he did miss a lot of time and you're just trying to be smart about the injury.
On defensive end Matt Henningsen:
Leonhard: Early, you just saw the consistency, and then he always finds a way to make a big play. So I think he's more athletic, he's more gifted, he's more talented than sometimes he's given credit for. He's always had that consistent side to him, and that's why we loved him, and he was on the field very early in his career.
Now, it's just continuing for him to find those opportunities to be dynamic, whether it's pass rush, whether it's in the run game, he's done it. He's had those moments in the past and great leadership in the room. He's kind of the guy with the most experience, and I think the rest of that group feeds off of him.
On safety John Torchio and what he has been doing to set himself up for success this year:
Leonhard: I think early on in his career, he flashed the playmaking ability, and now he's showing a lot more consistency. He's playing a little bit better in space than he did, especially a couple years ago. He's kind of gradually improved in some areas. So now you're seeing the playmaking come out more consistently, and it's a lot of fun. You know, he's been physical when he's needed to do that. He's made plays on the ball, he communicates well, so I like what he's done. You know, he's really stood out early in camp.
On rotating cornerbacks and a lot of players with experience, if Leonhard feels there is a third corner that has emerged at that point in camp, and where he views the current situation having Faion Hicks, Caesar Williams and others:
Leonhard: I would say we're still at the position [where] we love a lot of guys. 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.
It's just the challenge of camp is for somebody to try to separate, and we know we have a lot of flexibility with what Faion was able to do last year playing in the slot and having the ability to play outside. So I'm really just looking for as much depth as possible, and I've always rotated a lot of guys in camp. You know, that's a position that you need as many guys as possible. Going through camp, going through a season, you need to stay fresh. You need to be able to attack and challenge receivers. I like where we're at today, but I would say it's a little too early in camp to say a third has kind of jumped ahead of the pack, but I think they've all had their moments.
