Wisconsin's spring camp is set to kick off on March 26, so BadgerBlitz.com will run through each position group to break down what we know about the 2019 Badgers and what we still need to find out before they start their season on Aug. 30 against South Florida.

Miss a preview? Catch up here:

QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS | OFFENSIVE LINE | DEFENSIVE LINE | LINEBACKERS |

Sophomore safety Scott Nelson should be primed to hold on to his starting job at free safety after he appeared to run away with the job during spring camp last year. He had an up-and-down season in 2018 while dealing with some injury issues, but he flashed some real upside for UW while healthy in spring and fall camp. With a few games of experience now under his belt Nelson could be a stabilizing force in a defensive backfield that will be looking for a new leader now that D'Cota Dixon has graduated.

At this point it's also fair to think that junior Eric Burrell will enter the spring as one of the favorites to take over for Dixon as the the starter at strong safety. Dixon was a talented player, but Burrell will have a chance to help the Badgers not miss a beat in the backfield. Burrell earned the fourth-highest grade on the defensive side of the ball for the Badgers in 2018 according to Pro Football Focus, and wound up starting six of Wisconsin's last eight games last year - so playing a big role on the first team won't be a big change for him if he does win the job.

The good news for the Badgers is that they have more experienced options at cornerback now than they did at this point last spring. The "bad" news, if you want to call it that, is I don't think there are many people who would say the Badgers got a clear idea of who deserves to be their starting duo at cornerback when everyone is healthy.

If think we can feel confident in saying that junior Madison Cone will serve as the team's nickel back once again, in part because he earned the team's highest grade of any cornerback (69.7). And it wouldn't surprise anyone if it's sophomores Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams working with the first team at the start of camp. But the Badgers also got some decent reps from Rachad Wildgoose and Deron Harrell at times last year while Hicks and Williams were either on the bench or held out for injury reasons, so it wouldn't be shocking if defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard tries different combinations with his cornerback depth chart up until the start of the season.

Former Houston safety Collin Wilder transferred to UW last year but had to sit out to comply with the NCAA transfer rules. He got on the field early in his career with the Cougars before deciding to find a new home after a coaching change, and this spring he'll have a chance to compete for both a spot on the defensive depth chart and see if he can give the Badgers a bit of a lift in their return game.

CORNERBACK

1. FAION HICKS

2. DERON HARRELL

FREE SAFETY

1. SCOTT NELSON

2. TRAVIAN BLAYLOCK

SAFETY

1. ERIC BURRELL

2. REGGIE PEARSON

CORNERBACK

1. CAESAR WILLIAMS

-OR-

RACHAD WILDGOOSE

2. DONTE BURTON

___________________________________________________

John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.