Updating Wisconsin Badgers biggest position battles after Week 1 win over Miami (OH)

Luke Fickell was right during his weekly press conference before the season-opener against Miami (OH) when he said you never know how things are going to go until Game 1 starts.

Even after 30 open practices and a pair of scrimmages, all we could do was guess how each of the Wisconsin Badgers position battles and rotations would play out under the Camp Randall lights.

With Game 1 in the books, we have a better understanding of how snaps were divvied up at the positions still up for grabs.

Cornerback

Wisconsin started D'Yoni Hill opposite Ricardo Hallman at cornerback after listing him as co-starter with redshirt freshman Omillio Agard at the position on the initial depth chart.

The move came as a bit of a surprise, because Agard was announced as the starter in the stadium while Hill handled first-team reps during warmups.

Omilio Agard got the announced start, but it's been all D'Yoni Hill thus far at the CB spot opposite Ricardo Hallman through 2+ Miami drives. #Badgers https://t.co/2W1FsEMa5P
— Kedrick Stumbris (@KedrickStumbris) August 29, 2025

Hill finished with 29 snaps while Agard played 15.

Hill led the Badgers with five tackles and logged a quarterback hurry on a blitz, but he wasn't as strong in coverage with a poor 47.0 PFF grade. He was targeted four times, yielding two receptions for 15 yards.

Agard flashed his quickness and physicality, breaking up a pass by delivering a huge hit on a Miami (OH) receiver.

Omillio Agard steps onto the field and lays a massive hit on Cole Weaver to break up a would-be first down... Reiger gets home on the next play for a sack. MUCH needed stop. #Badgers
— Cam Wilhorn (@CamWilhorn) August 29, 2025

The redshirt freshman trailed only Preston Zachman, who intercepted two passes, with a 68.3 PFF coverage grade.

Running Back

As expected, Jeff Grimes utilized a backfield committee in Week 1, with Dilin Jones, Darrion Dupree and Cade Yacamelli all finishing between 23 and 31 snaps.

Jones paced the group with 17 touches, rushing the ball 14 times and catching three passes, while Dupree rushed eight times and Yacamelli handled five carries.

Interestingly, Dupree lined up out wide on a few plays and Yacamelli saw some work in heavy formations, including two goal-line rushes which netted one total yard.

They didn't have many big holes to run through, but Jones looked the most comfortable of the three on the ground. If that trend continues, Jones' snap count could creep upwards, though it'll likely continue to be a group effort for now.

Edge Rusher

Darryl Peterson, Mason Reiger, Sebastian Cheeks and Corey Walker were the four players listed as co-starters at outside linebacker in Wisconsin's depth chart. Tyrese Fearbry and Aaron Witt were the listed second teamers.

Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel had a clear top three in terms of snaps, with Cheeks handling 31, Reiger playing 30 and Peterson logging 22. They finished as the Badgers' top three graded edge rushers or linebackers per PFF.

Reiger and Peterson each notched a sack, while Cheeks had three quarterback hurries.

Fearbry finished fourth in grading and played 12 snaps with a pair of tackles. Walker (five snaps) and Witt (one snap) were non-factors in Week 1.

Defensive Line

Wisconsin's depth and ability to rotate along the defensive line was talked about ad nauseam throughout the offseason, and we finally got to see what that rotation looked like

Jay'Viar Suggs and Brandon Lane led the way, handling 18 and 17 snaps, respectively, while Ben Barten and Parker Petersen tied for third with 12 snaps.

Those were the four listed atop the Badgers depth chart.

Charles Perkins (nine snaps) and Dillan Johnson (seven snaps) round out the unit.

Lane led the group with two tackles, and he, Suggs and Walker each logged a quarterback hurry.

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