Wisconsin Badgers provide update on CB Nyzier Fourqurean at fall camp

Day one of fall camp for the University of Wisconsin football team down at UW‑Platteville came with a familiar scene, whistles blowing, coaches barking, and the usual mix of optimism and urgency that marks the start of a season. But tucked inside practice No. 1 was a storyline that still has no clear resolution: the future of senior cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean.

What once felt like a near-guaranteed return has now left Fourqurean's status in limbo. In July, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the NCAA, overturning a preliminary injunction that had allowed Fourqurean to participate in spring practice. The ruling effectively ruled him ineligible for the 2025 season, a blow to a Wisconsin secondary that was counting on him to start opposite Ricardo Hallman on the outside.

Fourqurean isn’t some fringe depth guy. The former Division II All‑American at Grand Valley State, who played for current Wisconsin outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator Matt Mitchell, transferred to Madison in 2023 and quickly became a fixture in the Badgers’ secondary. Over the past two years, he’s been a key piece in Wisconsin’s secondary, starting 17 games and piling up 90 tackles, 5.5 for loss, two sacks, eight pass breakups, and a pick.

Last fall, Fourqurean was arguably Wisconsin's best corner, registering 51 total tackles, 17 defensive stops, six pass deflections, and an interception. According to Pro Football Focus, the 6‑foot‑1 defensive back posted a 71.2 overall defensive grade along with a 70.8 mark in coverage.

Despite that resume, he may have played his last snap for Wisconsin.

The legal back‑and‑forth traces back to the NCAA’s Five‑Year Rule, which limits a player’s eligibility window to five years from initial enrollment.

Fourqurean’s legal team argued that the rule unfairly restricts athletes’ ability to maximize NIL earnings during their prime marketability years. They pointed to his $45,000 in NIL deals from 2024 and argued that another season could have meant hundreds of thousands more. They also cited mitigating factors such as COVID wiping out his freshman year, limited snaps in 2021, and personal hardship following his father’s death as reasons he should be granted an exception.

Comparable cases, like Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s, went in the player’s favor. Fourqurean’s did not.

Still, Wisconsin isn’t ready to close the book, at least not yet. The school has filed an appeal to the NCAA, hoping to get his waiver reconsidered. In the meantime, Fourqurean reportedly practiced on Tuesday in Platteville, going through some individual work and even one series of team drills. He didn’t take part in full 11‑on‑11 periods, with the coaching staff preparing as if they won’t have him, but keeping him engaged in case they do.

“There are some parameters that allow him to be out here,” Luke Fickell told reporters. “We know we’ve got to plan accordingly. But there are a lot of things that lay in wait. Just trusting, believing, and hoping that they take a good, hard look at this thing and make a judgment based on what’s best for a young man. Again, we all have our own personal opinions. But when it comes down to it, you believe that the NCAA is out there to do what’s best for young men and women still in college football or college sports. So, we’ll see.”

For now, Wisconsin is preparing for life without Fourqurean, a player they were counting on to help anchor the secondary, while still holding out hope for one last opportunity. In the meantime, transfers D’Yoni Hill and Geimere Latimer (slot) worked with the first‑team defense, and redshirt freshman Omillio Agard rotated in on the outside, all three preparing for larger roles than originally expected if things don’t break Wisconsin’s way.