Wisconsin got some crushing news on Wednesday regarding one of their starter cornerbacks.
The Wisconsin Badgers faced some unfortunate news on Wednesday, as Nyzier Fourqurean’s eligibility waiver was denied after the NCAA won an appeal overturning an injunction that would’ve granted the cornerback an opportunity to play in 2025.
The Badgers had expected Fourqurean to start for them at cornerback this season, as they also retained Ricardo Hallman for a fifth year, but are now left scrambling to figure out their situation in the secondary.
Wisconsin brought in two transfers, Miami’s D’Yoni Hill and Jacksonville State’s Geimere Latimer, but both seem to be better fits elsewhere. They also have Austin Brown, who played in the nickel last year before Max Lofy won that starting job. Brown is now back at his more natural position of safety.
Behind them, the Badgers don’t have much depth at all, with redshirt freshman Omillio Agard and freshmen Jahmare Washington, Cairo Skanes, and Jaimier Scott being the lone other contributors in the room.
So, what are Wisconsin’s options?
1. Play D’Yoni Hill on the outside
At 6’0, 180 pounds, D’Yoni Hill has solid size and could be a fit on the boundary. He allowed a 94.7 passer rating last season, according to PFF, while giving up 8.78 yards per target, thanks to a 54.5 percent catch rate allowed.
Hill is a fine fit, but isn’t usually the type of body that Wisconsin prefers at the boundary position, given his size and length. The Badgers have looked for lengthier players, such as Xavier Lucas and even Fourqurean, to fill that role, and were spurned when the former headed to Miami this offseason.
But, Hill has experience, playing 375 defensive snaps last offseason, and could be a suitable option if he shows out in fall camp.
One notable aspect, however, is that Hill had just one pass breakup, which will be important at the boundary spot in 2025.
2. Move Geimere Latimer to the outside
A dark-horse option could be moving nickel cornerback Geimere Latimer outside and returning Austin Brown to the slot.
There are a lot of moving parts with this option, but Latimer is a bigger cornerback at 5’10, 190 pounds, and can be physical in coverage. If Wisconsin doesn’t trust Hill in that spot, they could turn to their other transfer for a boost, allowing Austin Brown to return to the nickel spot.
Now, this would be moving two players away from their natural position. Latimer is a great fit at cornerback, as his physical style of play is seen in the run game. He’s also a smaller cornerback who may not be able to match up physically with some outside receivers.
That would allow Austin Brown to move back to the nickel. But, Brown is a better fit at safety, where his athleticism matches better as a bigger body, as opposed to the nickel, where his change-of-direction is challenged more often.
Still, if Wisconsin feels that is their best opportunity to win games, they have the depth to do so, as transfers Matt Jung and Matthew Traynor could fill in at the other safety position opposite Preston Zachman.
3. Try Omillio Agard at the boundary
The Badgers seem high on 2024 four-star Omillio Agard, who got second-team reps in the spring behind Ricardo Hallman at the field cornerback spot. They could try him on the boundary and see if it works.
But, like the others in the room, Agard is smaller at 5’11, 183 pounds and is a better fit physically for the field spot than the boundary spot.
Unlike the options above, Agard doesn’t have the experience that others have, so thrusting him in the starting role at a new position may be a difficult transition in fall camp.
4. Look for a late addition
This option is the last priority likely, but Wisconsin could look for a late transfer portal addition to come in and immediately start.
Sometimes, it’s not the best idea to hand a newcomer a starting role this late into the offseason, but Wisconsin doesn’t have much depth or experienced players at the boundary position.
With how their offseason has gone, it seems they were expecting Fourqurean to play in 2025, especially after his injunction was initially granted. Now, that plan has changed, and we’ll see how Wisconsin responds.
There’s a big question to answer with the second cornerback spot, with the season opener just over a month away. What will Wisconsin do?