The Badgers have a deep cornerback room filled with young talent this season.
The Wisconsin Badgers are heading into their second week of fall camp over at UW-Platteville, as they continue their preparations for the upcoming season.
While much of the talk is about the quarterback position, there are a number of position battles where players are fighting for spots on the depth chart, which translates into playing time come the fall.
One of those positions is cornerback, where the Badgers have a bevy of young talent in 2024 to mix with their returning starters.
How does cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes see the group?
Behind starters Ricardo Hallman and Nyzier Fourqurean, who will be occupying the field and boundary spots, respectively, there are a number of players who should find themselves with a chance for playing time this year.
Haynes believes there are increased expectations heading into Year 2, but he also knows his players better, giving him a better understanding of where things stand in his room.
“Year 1 [to] Year 2, it’s always going to be different. I think the expectation’s different. I think you learn your team a little bit more,” Haynes said.
“You got RJ [Delancy]. You got Amare [Snowden], his year 2. Jace [Arnold] and Jonas [Duclona] came early a year ago. So all those guys are kind of rotating, if you notice, with the 1s and 2s.”
According to the cornerbacks coach, the Badgers could play six cornerbacks in 2024, which he prefers, as it’ll allow others to play less and better with their snaps per game, rather than tiring out after playing 60-70 reps like last season.
“I really got like six guys that I feel comfortable with putting in there and playing. With that, I think guys can play less and play better instead of playing 60-70 snaps a game.”
Wisconsin’s cornerback room is one of their deepest position groups this season.
Delancy slots in as the No. 3 option essentially, with the capability to play both the boundary and field spots, which he showcased in spring ball. While I like his ability as a physical press-man cornerback, his size profile could keep him on the field side, but it ultimately may be up to availability.
Snowden is a player that many have hyped up this summer, be it his fellow peers or coaches, as he settles into his second season. His length and size standout at 6’4, 210 pounds, but it’s the technical skills that will be vital for him to play on the boundary.
Arnold and Duclona were both early enrollees as freshmen last year, with the latter cracking the two-deep as a freshman. For the duo, their size limits them to the field side, while I wouldn’t be surprised if Duclona got reps in the slot at some point. But, it’s a good sign that Haynes believes they’re ready to play this year and give the top starters some rest.
Behind those six are a number of capable names as well, as redshirt senior Max Lofy could be the favorite for the slot role in nickel packages. Additionally, true freshman Xavier Lucas is a player with unique size and speed, which could catapult him into the depth chart as the season goes along.
Overall, the depth is there for Wisconsin. Now, it’s up to Haynes to manage it well to find out the best configuration for playing time on the roster.