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Wisconsin Badgers freshmen CBs getting 'battle tested' in camp to prepare for regular season action

Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell expects his freshmen cornerbacks will contribute in the regular season, so he's battle testing them throughout fall camp.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin cornerback Omillio Agard (11) runs a drill during football practice Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium in Platteville, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin cornerback Omillio Agard (11) runs a drill during football practice Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium in Platteville, Wisconsin. | Scott Ash / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

Luke Fickell is trying to make the Wisconsin Badgers' freshmen cornerbacks not feel like freshmen anymore.

The head coach knows he'll have to count on his young depth this season, and he wants to make sure they're be ready.

"They have been there against the ones, and they've been challenged a lot," Fickell said over the weekend. "I can tell you this, they aren't going to be freshmen by the time this camp is over and by the time we get into week 3 and 4."

Redshirt freshman Omillio Agard has been the leader of young corners, but true freshmen like Cairo Skanes and Jai'mier Scott have also been in the mix.

All of them have yet to take the field at Camp Randall Stadium for a regular season game, but Fickell is hoping to push them enough so they won't be caught off guard when the bullets start flying for real.

"They have been beat, but they haven't batted an eye," Fickell said. "It would make you nervous if you thought you were going in there to play with one of those true freshmen guys, but they are getting battled tested."

He wouldn't commit to how much they will play this season, but even if it's only on special teams, Wisconsin will need them at the top of their game.

With fifth-year senior Ricardo Hallman in his last year of eligibility and Nyzier Fourqurean still seeking one more year, the Badgers will be counting on their young cornerbacks to develop this season to step into even bigger roles in 2026.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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