Wisconsin football: experience and depth in the secondary could allow for versatility

The Badgers have some experienced seniors to turn to in the defensive secondary.

Following the Las Vegas Bowl win over Arizona State, one of the biggest questions of the off-season for the Wisconsin Badgers was how defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard and cornerbacks Hank Poteat would retool the secondary.

Last season the Badgers were fortunate to have seniors Collin Wilder and Scott Nelson as the starting safety duo and fellow upperclassmen Caesar Williams and Faion Hicks outside at cornerback.

With all four off to chase their NFL dreams, Wisconsin is left with some sizeable holes to fill in their depth chart this spring.

In response, the Badgers attacked the transfer portal and added three experienced starters to help add depth to the cornerback room. Graduate transfer Jay Shaw joins the program after playing in 43 games and notching 16 starts with the UCLA Bruins. Cedrick Dort comes after playing 44 games, including 25 starts, in the SEC with Kentucky. Lastly, seventh-year senior Justin Clark played in 41 games with Toledo before becoming a Badger this spring.

So far, it appears as though the trio of graduate transfers are settling in nicely with the Badgers. During his media availability on Saturday, Paul Chryst said, "I've been impressed, quite honestly, with the way they have adjusted and what they are bringing. That's not always easy. We are excited they are here."

Beyond the infusion of transfer talent, the Badgers return several players with experience as well. Senior cornerback Alexander Smith is back with 35 games under his belt, while at safety, Wisconsin has a pair of seniors in John Torchio and Travian Blaylock, poised to take on a leadership role in the back-end of the defense.

Younger players such as sophomore safety Hunter Wohler, junior cornerback Semar Melvin, sophomore corner/safety Max Lofy, and redshirt freshman cornerback Ricardo Hallman are also vying for playing time and have the talent to push the senior-laden group.

So what does all the cornerback depth and experience mean for Wisconsin's defense in 2022?

With so many new faces across the defense, I think the talent level and experience of the secondary should allow for Leonhard to get creative. 

For example, Travian Blaylock is a former cornerback, while other players such as Max Lofy and Alexander Smith have each worked with the safeties at different times in their careers. Leonhard could utilize three safeties when the team is in nickel or allow the team to use six defensive backs at a time.

Leonhard has valued versatility in the past, and this collection of defensive backs might be his most diverse group. Even Avyonne Jones, an early enrollee out of Southlake, Texas, has the ability to play all over the secondary, which was one of the key reasons the staff was so high on him in the recruiting process.

This spring is a significant opportunity for returning players and transfers to demonstrate what they can do. Leonhard earlier this spring mentioned that he generally uses the spring to help him plan for the fall, not only for who might see the field but how the scheme will develop around them. With how Leonhard and Hank Poteat frequently cross-train defensive backs, I think the depth at cornerback and experience in the secondary should allow for the team to hopefully withstand injuries and be uniquely prepared to approach the varying offenses the team will face in non-conference and Big Ten play.

The Badgers felt strong enough about this group and the depth they built in the off-season to allow Dean Engram to shift over to offense, and at this point, I think it was the right decision. The addition of three graduate transfers is a short-term fix. However, this spring the team has plenty of experience in the defensive backfield to hopefully maintain the level of play from a year ago, if not improve it, based on the versatile options that Jim Leonhard now has around him. 

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