After Mason Reiger and Darryl Peterson exhausted eligibility and turned to professional opportunities, where pressure in the backfield will come from in 2026 became a major defensive storyline for Wisconsin . Arguably equally as important, however, is the secondary, with Matt Jung being the only returning starter.
At Wednesday's local media day, defensive coordinator Mike Tressel expressed confidence in his revamped defensive back room which features plenty of guys who could see action this fall, but knows there's a long way to go towards being a good secondary.
"We feel like we've taken a huge step forward in terms of depth and talent at corner, but who's done it in the Big Ten? Who's done it?" Tressel said. "So we need all of them out there competing with that healthy competition and pushing each other."
With a plethora of new faces in the secondary, and multiple spots to fill, it's too early to predict who will be in the first group on the field come Sept. 6, but Tressel seems to have at least a baseline idea of what things might look like.
"Sitting here talking right now, J-Rob [ Javan Robinson ] and Kai [Bates], I think, are both really good fits to the boundary in terms of skill set, mentality, ability to communicate. There's more checks and adjustments there," Tressel said. "And great competition with Jai'mier Scott and Fletch [Eric Fletcher Jr.] to the field."
Wisconsin cornerback Javan Robinson (2) is shown during spring football practice Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
As a whole, the defense had a strong first day of camp, especially the secondary. There wasn't much action through the air downfield, which may be partially attributed to the offense keeping things simple on day one, but the corners kept things in front, and the safeties didn't let anything behind them outside of one deep ball from Colton Joseph to Chris Brooks Jr.
The standout in the secondary on day one was redshirt freshman Jai'mier Scott. As Tressel said, he's right in the mix to start in the position to the field, and he proved why today. He left his fingerprints on a few plays throughout the day, but his interception was the headliner.
On a play where Joseph felt immediate pressure, he rolled left and attempted to make something happen, but Scott made him pay. Scott stayed in good position as the play developed, and as Joseph tried to force a throw across his body to the sideline, Scott jumped in front of the route and came up with a diving pick.
Tressel emphasized forcing turnovers as one of two key areas his defense needs to improve in 2026, and it got off to a good start, picking off Joseph as well as Deuce Adams and Ryan Hopkins, who are battling for the backup quarterback job .
On the reserves side of the field, Carsen Eloms had the play of the day. The freshman stayed in good position along the sideline and made a play on a deep ball at the right moment, coming away with an interception.
Opportunities will be plentiful over the next few weeks for the secondary to solidify itself, but it was encouraging to see Scott's redshirt season spent learning the defense pay dividends as he forced a turnover, while the secondary as a whole limited big plays on day one.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as Young Badgers Cornerback Makes Statement at First Fall Practice .
