Wisconsin added quite a few transfers in the secondary this offseason.
The Wisconsin Badgers had a lot of turnover this offseason, losing a couple of key pieces in the secondary.
Several cornerbacks elected to transfer, including prized 2024 four-star recruit Xavier Lucas, while safety Hunter Wohler headed to the 2025 NFL Draft.
That led Wisconsin to hit the transfer portal for some talent, landing Jacksonville State transfer Geimere Latimer and Miami transfer D’Yoni Hill at cornerback, as well as Bethel transfer Matt Jung and Richmond transfer Matthew Traynor at safety.
Those four will join incumbents Ricardo Hallman, Nyzier Fourqurean, Austin Brown, and Preston Zachman in the secondary, giving Wisconsin a blend of familiarity and new faces in the mix.
Let’s break down the team’s projected depth chart in the secondary after spring ball.
Starters
Cornerback: Ricardo Hallman, Nyzier Fourqurean, Geimere Latimer (SLOT)
Safety: Austin Brown, Preston Zachman
Wisconsin returns their starting cornerbacks from a year ago, providing stability at the position after Nyzier Fourqurean was granted an injunction in his case for an extra year of eligibility.
The slot position was manned by Austin Brown last year, although there was some rotation at the spot, with Max Lofy coming in there as well over the second half of the year.
Now, with Brown back at safety, Wisconsin tried out Geimere Latimer at the spot, and he seems to be the frontrunner coming out of the spring. Latimer is a stout, smaller cornerback who isn’t afraid to get his nose dirty in the run game, while having solid athleticism for the position.
With Brown back at his natural position, he’ll join Preston Zachman, who returned for a sixth and final year, at safety.
Bench
Cornerback: Omillio Agard, D’Yoni Hill, Owen Arnett (SLOT)
Safety: Matthew Traynor, Matt Jung
Wisconsin took quite the hit in the secondary with players transferring out, so the backups look quite different this offseason.
Omillio Agard steps into a two-deep role as a redshirt freshman, while D’Yoni Hill is in the mix as well, coming from Miami. Owen Arnett reprises his role as the backup slot cornerback. Ultimately, Wisconsin is hoping for minimal injuries to their cornerbacks, as there isn’t much depth at the position.
At safety, both Matthew Traynor and Matthew Jung are transferring up and have some good experience with them. They play different roles, but both should be in the mix at safety behind the starters.
It is notable that Wisconsin’s safeties played nearly the entire game of snaps last year, so it’s unclear how much rotation there’ll be at the position. But, there is some experience there with Traynor and Jung as the backups.