Tag: alexander smith

Wisconsin cornerback graded in top 10 within Big Ten by PFF

With one of the most anticipated Badger football seasons on closing in, PFF graded one of their cornerbacks within the top 10 in the Big Ten.

With one of the most anticipated Badger football seasons on the horizon, PFF graded one of their cornerbacks within the top 10 in the Big Ten. Entering his sixth and final season in Madison, Alexander Smith is the eighth highest rated cornerback returning to the conference in 2023.

Smith has spent five seasons with the Badgers so far, appearing in seven games in 2022. Over those contests, he was able to log 17 tackles while deflecting two passes. The cornerback has only reeled in one interception over 19 collegiate games, but he’ll look to raise that number in his final year.

New head coach Luke Fickell and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel have worked with successful cornerbacks in the past, coaching both Sauce Gardner (NYJ) and Coby Bryant (SEA) while with the Cincinnati Bearcats.

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Wisconsin Football congratulates six college graduates

Six outstanding football student athletes earned their degree this weekend.

The Wisconsin Football team is gearing up for a much-anticipated 2023 campaign with new head coach Luke Fickell taking over for his first full season at the helm. That being said, some of the returning athletes and some that have gone on to the next level earned one of life’s highest honors this weekend, they became graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In what was a tumultuous 2022 season for the Badgers, the team finished 7-6 and won the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in December over Oklahoma State. Operating under both Paul Chryst and Jim Leonhard at head coach, the team had to be level-headed in the tough year.

Balancing both athletics and academics is certainly no easy feat, here’s each of the athletes that were honored for their degrees on the Badgers’ official Twitter:

Badgers rebuilt secondary no longer a position group of weakness

Badgers rebuilt CB room has a chance to be really, really good this fall:

Entering the college football offseason, the Badgers top ranked defense was set to lose starting cornerbacks Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams, both of whom had been multi-year starters for UW. Couple that with starting nickel corner Dean Engram switching to the offensive side of the ball, and the nation’s top ranked defense has some serious holes to fill in their secondary.

Thankfully, Paul Chryst and company saw this glaring need on the roster, and took to the transfer portal to fix it. Wisconsin brought in Justin Clark (Toledo), Jay Shaw (UCLA), and Cedrick Dort Jr. (Kentucky), all of whom have considerable experience at the collegiate level to help rebuild an otherwise inexperienced secondary.

Not to mention, there have been several instances of in-house options taking the next step in their development and working their way up the depth chart. Senior CB Alexander Smith has the most experience of any returning player, and appears set to sit to begin fall camp as the team’s CB1 after a strong showing in the spring. Red-shirt freshman Ricardo Hallman also appears ready to push for meaningful snaps on the outside despite the influx of experience added to the roster.

These additions through the transfer portal helped patch up a gaping hole on the roster that allows Wisconsin to maintain their level of excellence on the field now, while allowing younger players like Al Ashford, Auman Williams, Max Lofy, and Avyonne Jones to continue developing until they’re ready for larger roles of their own in the future.

At their core, Wisconsin will continue to be a recruit and develop program. However, the transfer portal also allows for teams like UW to pursue stopgap options that prevent their younger players from being thrust into roles they’re not ready for. It’s a win-win for UW, and an overall masterful use of the transfer portal.

What was once viewed as a position group of weakness, is now viewed as a strength for the Badgers as they move past spring ball and into summer workouts.

Entering fall camp, Wisconsin’s projected starters at CB are expected to be Alexander Smith and Jay Shaw on the outside, with Toledo transfer Justin Clark starting at the nickel corner.

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Five Badgers that boosted their stock during spring football practice

Five players that boosted their stock during spring football practice:

Spring football has officially come to a close for the Wisconsin Badgers, who wrapped up their spring evaluation period last Friday night.

Head coach Paul Chryst made a significant amount of changes along the coaching staff this offseason, so this initial installation period allowed those coaches their first real look at their respective position groups.

UW essentially has players competing for meaningful snaps at every position heading into fall camp. The offense lost six preferred starters from last season, while the nation’s top defensive unit needs to replace eight starters of their own in 2022.

Spring football is about trying new things, generating competition, and forcing players out of their comfort zones.

So, it’s important that fans understand no starting positions are going to be won in the spring. However, it can lead to additional opportunities once camp opens in the fall.

Today, we’re going to examine five players that boosted their stock during the Badgers 15 spring practices:

Wisconsin Football Season Review: Cornerbacks

How did Wisconsin’s cornerbacks play during the 2019 football season?

Wisconsin finished its fifth season under head coach Paul Chryst as Chryst improved his overall record to 52-16 and has a posted a 34-10 record in conference games. After not winning the Big Ten West Division title in 2018 the Badgers were back in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship game as the West representative for the fourth time in the last six years since the Big Ten went to its current format.

In this Badgers Wire feature we will examine the play of Wisconsin’s cornerbacks from the 2019 season and take a sneak into what the 2020 season may have in store for the position:

One of the main questions heading into the 2019 season was if Wisconsin could have two players from the cornerback position emerge and lock down the position. Considering over the 2018 season the Badgers used seven different starting combinations at the cornerback position.

In 2019 not much changed as the Badgers once again used seven different starting combinations. That’s not a bad thing though as the Badgers for a second consecutive year received good production from their cornerbacks as they helped to only allow 187.3 passing yards a game.

Faion Hicks was one of the constants in the starting lineup at cornerback as he started 12 games for the Badgers, Rachad Wildgoose was second with eight starts, and Caesar Williams started the last seven games this season. Redshirt sophomore Deron Harrell (four starts), redshirt freshman Donte Burton (two starts), and true freshman Semar Melvin (two starts) all started at least two games this past season.

The highlight of the season for Williams was the game against Minnesota as he put his best game to date together. As he registered his only interception of the season against the Gophers and broke up four passes.

With two of his four pass breakups coming on consecutive plays against consensus first-team All-Big Ten wide receiver Tyler Johnson. Minnesota attempted a pass on both third and fourth and goal with Tanner Morgan’s pass attempt intended for Johnson. The problem was Williams was there both times ready to break up the pass.

Hicks once again was steady manning his positon at cornerback as he was a consensus All-Big Ten honorable mention selection. Hicks finished the season with 32 tackles, one pass breakup, and one tackle for loss. Hicks has the trust of defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jim Leonhard as he is able to play disciplined football and doesn’t get beat easily.

Wildgoose was able to take a nice step from his true freshman season to his sophomore year. Wildgoose was able to become more consistent in his play as he registered his first interception in his career, which came against Michigan State to help preserve the shutout. Wildgoose once again put himself in a good position to make a play on the football as his six pass breakups were the second most amongst the cornerbacks only trailing Williams who had 11.

2020 Wisconsin Cornerbacks

In 2020 Wisconsin once again could utilize multiple starting combinations but the main three will likely be Hicks, Wildgoose, and Williams. Those three were the most consistent in their play a season ago and if they continue to develop their games the Badgers once again should be to tough pass on. It will also be interesting to see how Leonhard utilizes Melvin who will be a redshirt freshman next year. Considering the talent Wisconsin has at the cornerback position he still played in four games and made two starts. If he continues to develop he’ll push for playing time. Burton and Alexander Smith will need to continue to develop the consistency that is needed if they want to push for playing time in 2020.