The Wisconsin Badgers faced some disappointing news on Monday morning as four-star cornerback Rukeem Stroud de-committed from the program and subsequently flipped to the UCF Knights.
As a result, Wisconsin is left with just one cornerback in their 2025 class, with Illinois three-star Jahmare Washington remaining as the lone commit at the position in the cycle.
However, the Badgers have still gotten a strong group of defensive backs over the past few years, loading up at the position with a ton of young talent, placing them in a good position for the future.
Let’s break down the Badgers scholarship distribution at cornerback, giving a look at how things may shape out over the next few years.
Upperclassmen
RJ Delancy (redshirt senior)
Max Lofy (redshirt senior)
Nyzier Fourqurean (senior)
Ricardo Hallman (redshirt junior)
The Badgers have three scholarship cornerbacks whose eligibility is set to expire after the 2024 season: RJ Delancy, Nyzier Fourqurean, and Max Lofy.
All three could play a significant role in 2024, as Delancy and Fourqurean are projected as starters or prominent figures in the two-deep, while Lofy saw a ton of action with the first-team defense in the nickel during the spring.
Additionally, Ricardo Hallman will be a redshirt junior this upcoming season, electing to return to the Badgers for another year after hearing feedback from the NFL earlier in the offseason.
Hallman, who will start at the field position in the secondary for the Badgers, underwent offseason shoulder surgery and is near 100 percent. He should be a prominent figure on the defense this season.
Underclassmen
Jonas Duclona (sophom*ore)
Amare Snowden (redshirt freshman)
Jace Arnold (redshirt freshman)
Xavier Lucas (freshman)
Omillio Agard (freshman)
Jay Harper (freshman)
This is where things begin to get interesting when you start to think about the future.
The Badgers loaded up on defensive back talent in the 2023 and 2024 classes, landing Duclona, Snowden, and Arnold in the first Luke Fickell cycle, while Lucas, Agard, and Harper are all a part of this year’s freshman group.
Duclona cracked the two-deep as a true freshman, but didn’t have that many meaningful snaps, as Ricardo Hallman played nearly a full game every time he was on the field in 2023.
In the spring, Duclona worked between the first and second-team defense, depending on where RJ Delancy lined up, and worked in the field position as Ricardo Hallman rehabbed on the sidelines.
Ultimately, his spot will end up being in that field spot or the nickel long-term, with his usage likely to increase in 2025 once the upperclassmen depart.
Arnold is another smaller cornerback that is best suited for the field spot, and he saw much of his playing time with the second and third-team defense this offseason.
The big domino of the bunch is Snowden, who is a long, rangy cornerback at 6’4, 210 pounds. However, with that frame and his average foot speed, Snowden’s development will come down to his technical refinement, which was still a wait-and-see this offseason.
If he can work through that aspect over this season, he could be a good candidate to earn the coveted boundary spot next year with the top defense.
The 2024 class has a number of intriguing talents at defensive back, beginning with one of the higher-profile players: Xavier Lucas.
It’s unclear whether Lucas will profile in as more of a safety or a defensive back, but the Florida native can play both spots and could be a good fit for that boundary position as well if he acclimates quickly to the next level.
Additionally, Omillio Agard comes in as an Under Armour All-American, and profiles best as a field corner, given his size and length. With his measurables, the technical skills will be important to hone in, and will likely determine how quickly he can see the field at Wisconsin.
If he grows into his frame well, the nickel spot could also be a possibility, although his 5’9.5, 165-pound frame may prompt some concerns there.
Harper is a high-upside player who is still fairly raw in his football development, but has solid size and athleticism at 6’1.
Overall, though, this is a strong group of underclassmen, as Wisconsin hopes that at least two of these players can pan out to create a formidable secondary in the future.
2025 Class
Now, let’s look into the 2025 class, which also already has a number of defensive back commits.
While Wisconsin has only one true cornerback in the class with Jahmare Washington, athletes Remington Moss and Jaimier Scott could also profile as cornerbacks, although safety seems to be the more likely spot for them.
Washington’s measurables at 6’2, 170 pounds with good length make him an ideal candidate for the boundary spot as he grows into his frame down the line.
But, since Wisconsin technically has a sophom*ore and five freshmen (three redshirt freshmen, three true freshmen), they are still stacked with underclassmen talent at cornerback even with the de-commitment of Rukeem Stroud.
When you add in that Stroud likely profiles to the boundary like many of Wisconsin’s current group, it lessens the blow of the hit that came on Monday.
Overall, Wisconsin has a mix of floor and ceiling when it comes to their defensive backs, and seem to be in good shape for the future, with the transfer portal always being available as well.
