Wisconsin football: Hank Poteat breaks down the cornerback room

Cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat discusses the depth at cornerback and what each of the top players in the position room brings to the team.

Jim Leonhard raised eyebrows during Wisconsin Football Media Day, saying that the group of cornerbacks on the 2022 roster might be the deepest he has seen during his time as defensive coordinator.

In speaking with cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat, that seems to be a bit of a consensus about the talent level of the group, despite the Badgers losing three of their top cornerbacks from a season ago.

With Faion Hicks (Denver Broncos) and Caesar Williams (LA Rams) each off chasing their NFL dreams and Dean Engram flipping to play offense after the Las Vegas Bowl, the Badgers attacked the transfer portal this past off-season.

Wisconsin added three senior cornerbacks with starting experience and returned senior Alexander Smith, who started two games a year ago with the team.

While this added depth should give Poteat and Leonhard plenty of options, Poteat is not simply handing out playing time this fall or finalizing anything early in camp. Instead, playing time will be earned according to the veteran assistant coach, who said, "I'm definitely looking forward to the competition," and "it will be interesting to see who surfaces as the guys we can count on every Saturday."

When asked about the three transfer additions, Poteat believes each brings something unique to the group and that the trio "has definitely elevated the whole room."

A former NFL cornerback for a decade, Poteat knows what it takes to be a top-level player at the position and went into detail about some of the top cornerbacks on the roster vying for playing time this fall. 

Justin Clark

Up first, Poteat had this to say about cornerback Justin Clark from Toledo, who finished spring practice working with the first-team defense:

"A competitor. Was always around the ball. Can play inside or outside, can play corner as well as nickel. Just made a lot of plays for us, so looking forward to seeing how he looks during camp and continues to elevate his game."

Clark comes to Wisconsin from Toledo, where he played in 47 games and made 18 starts. For his career, he has made 115 tackles and recorded four interceptions at the college level. 

Wisconsin cornerback Jay Shaw posing for the camera before the team photo at football media day.  :: Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jay Shaw

The next cornerback that Poteat discussed was UCLA transfer Jay Shaw, who comes to Wisconsin after earning second-team All-Pac 12 honors a year ago. 

Poteat said this about the veteran cornerback out of California:

"He had some flashes where he is a physical player, has really good feet. [He] plays with an aggression, you know that you like playing in this conference teams are going to force you to tackle, get off blocks verse big receivers. So I really like him."

Cedrick Dort

Poteat also went into specifics about Kentucky transfer Cedrick Dort, who has actually made the most starts of any player in the cornerback room with 25 over the course of his career in the SEC.

Poteat talked specifically about Dort's versatility to play inside and outside as well. 

Kentucky transfer Cedrick Dort leaning up against a goal post during football media day.  :: Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Alexander Smith

The final senior that Poteat talked about was the lone holdover from a year ago, Alexander Smith. 

Poteat had this to say about Smith, who returns after playing in 36 games over the past three seasons with the Badgers:

"Our leader of the room, who was here last year, he was my third corner, who can play every position in the secondary, Alex Smith. You know, I feel like he's a guy who is under the radar, but I see him as a, elevating his game to the next level going into this upcoming season.

When asked about Smith's versatility, coach Poteat had more positive remarks for his senior leader, saying:

"It helps me as a coach because, you know, I trust him with the room, so whether it's the summertime, after practice, before practice, holding a meeting, holding guys accountable, he's like a player-coach. He is an extension of us. But also, with his knowledge and with some of his experiences playing in some big games, it also allows us to do different things, put him in different positions. I think when this spring when we were short at safety he gave us some depth there at that position, so I think we can do a lot of things with Alex. But right now, he is a guy that is running with what I'll call our cornerback group."

Max Lofy

Another player that brings versatility to the cornerback room is Max Lofy. A redshirt sophomore out of Colorado Springs, Lofy saw action in eight games last year, mostly on special teams. 

Here is what Hank Poteat had to say about the young cornerback, who worked extensively in the spring at nickel:

"Max, he is a guy that loves football, really good athlete. Has the tools to play inside because of his short-area quickness and burst. I think that allows him to be versatile with his skill set but also he can see it, he can retain information, see movement and communicate in there at that position. That's a position where you have to do a good job of communicating."

🎱 pic.twitter.com/TIHDEp7tkO

— Avyonne Jones (@AvyonneJ) July 9, 2022

Avyonne Jones

Next up, coach Poteat discussed true freshman Avyonne Jones, who joined the team this spring as an early enrollee, and who played both safety and cornerback in the spring.

Poteat had this to say about the freshman out of Texas:

"He was a bigger guy in high school, one of the bigger corners. I thought he had some things that could translate or transition over to the safety position. But right now he'll start out at cornerback."

Assistant Hank Poteat mentioned that Al Ashford will begin fall camp working with the safeties primarily

— Matt Belz (@savedbythebelz) August 2, 2022

Ricardo Hallman

Another young player with a chance to push for playing time this year is redshirt freshman Ricardo Hallman. The South Florida product had a big spring, and worked with the first-team defense often. 

Here is what coach Poteat had to say about his ability level and what he has done on the preparation side to be ready for potentially a bigger role:

"In the spring one thing that stood out was his work ethic and his preparation. He would come see me every day before and after practice. He was always trying to find tendencies from the offense, he would want to do thing after practice on the field. But just the details of the position he really focused on in the spring, which allowed him to play fast, but play with more control. I'm looking forward to see how he continues elevate his game this camp and competes."

Workin' on the weekend like usual pic.twitter.com/YUAcyQBfkz

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) August 6, 2022

Related links:

• Safety John Torchio previews his senior season with the Wisconsin Badgers
• Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard talks about the depth at safety
• Nose tackle Keeanu Benton talks his preparation for the 2022 season

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