Badgers Secondary Coach Paul Haynes Heaps Praise on Young CB: 'One of the best I've been around'

Completely re-modeling its cornerback room, Wisconsin signed four corners out of the transfer portal this winter to add veteran experience and skill, and to solidify the top of the position group.

But a young corner waiting in the wings has caught the eye of Paul Haynes this spring, who switched from cornerbacks coach to the broader title of secondary coach this offseason.

That corner would be Jai'mier Scott, a redshirt freshman who didn't see the field on defense last season.

“When you look at talent, you look at his footwork and things, he’s probably one of the best I’ve ever been around, footwork-wise," Haynes told reporters. "He just needed to mature a little bit with the consistency, to do the good things over and over again. But he’s tough, he’ll hit ya...He has the skillset to be, I’ll say it again, one of the best I’ve been around."

Wisconsin cornerback Jai'mier Scott. | Scott Ash / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When I saw Scott as a true freshman at spring practice in 2025, he also caught my attention right away. From his length to his speed to his competitiveness, he simply appeared to have a myriad of tools to work with.

Scott had no shot at seeing the field last fall as a true freshman. In 2026, however? He appears to be pushing the veteran transfers for playing time.

"Ball skills, tackling, setting edges, covering, he has all those abilities," Haynes added.

Out of high school, Scott was initially recruited to Madison as a safety. He was a high three-star prospect in the class of 2025, and fielded two dozen offers including the likes of Michigan, Miami, Penn State and Tennessee. After the Badgers secured his commitment and got him on campus, they quickly recognized his skillset and shifted him to corner.

Scott's competiton at CB

Former Oklahoma State cornerback Eric Fletcher is one of Scott's top competitors for snaps. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One year in, Scott's path to significant playing time looks very feasible. Arizona State transfer Javan Robinson is locked into a starting role, and Ohio State transfer Bryce West looks primed to occupy the nickel. That means Scott needs to compete with Florida State transfer Cai Bates and Oklahoma State transfer Eric Fletcher for the other outside corner spot.

Bates is long, fast and extremely promising as well, but he has just 26 career snaps to his name. Fletcher, meanwhile, got plenty of run at Oklahoma State last fall, but is by no means a finished product at cornerback. Thus, it wouldn't be surprising to see Scott make a real run at the CB2 spot this fall camp.

The Badgers are of course hoping they hit on multiple stud cornerback transfers this offseason. But they also appear to have a home-grown budding star right under their nose.

Potential CB Depth Chart:

Boundary CB	Field CB	Nickel
1. Jai'meir Scott	1. Javan Robinson	1. Bryce West
2. Cai Bates	2. Eric Fletcher	2. Raphael Dunn

Add us as a preferred source on Google