Only one Badger makes list of top-100 college football players in 2024

Hallman still has a ways to go when it comes to earning national respect.

Dec 27, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Ricardo Hallman (2) against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In 2023, Wisconsin cornerback Ricardo Hallman reeled in seven interceptions, which tied for the most in all of college football. He garnered national respect after being named AP Third Team All-American, but is he still underrated heading into his redshirt junior season?

ESPN recently released its top-100 players heading into the 2024 college football season. Hallman was the only Wisconsin player featured, checking in at No. 62.

"Hallman's journey has been one to watch. After being a redshirt freshman who barely got any snaps during his first two seasons, Hallman made a leap last year," the write-up on Hallman says. "The Miami native secured a starting spot in the Badgers' secondary and tallied a nation-leading seven interceptions on his way to All-America status. Going into his junior season, Hallman somehow remains one of the more underrated defenders -- and players -- in college football and should be primed for another big year."

There are only three cornerbacks ranked higher than Hallman on ESPN's list.

Last season, Hallman's 880 snaps were more than double his previous career total. He was versatile and played a handful of snaps in the box, but 93.8% of his work came at the outside cornerback position. Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave him an 83.5 overall defensive grade, including 84.1 in coverage and 68.4 in run defense.

During his time at Cincinnati, Badgers second-year head coach Luke Fickell and his staff developed cornerback Sauce Gardner into the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft, and Coby Bryant became a First-Team All-American in 2021. By the end of the 2024 season, Hallman has a chance to put himself amongst those names and greatly outperform his ranking on ESPN's list.