Bye Week Report Card: Secondary

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin enters its bye week with a 2-2 overall record, including 0-1 in Big Ten Conference play. How have the Badgers been performing in the secondary through the first part of the 2025 season? Badger Blitz takes a closer look with the help of Pro Football Focus…

OVERVIEW/PFF GRADES

Preston Zachman – 82.8 (116 snaps)

Austin Brown – 74.0 (183 snaps)

Omillio Agard – 69.8 (103 snaps)

D’Yoni Hill – 63.1 (114 snaps)

Giemere Latimer – 61.8 (170 snaps)

Ricardo Hallman – 52.6 (208 snaps)

Matthew Jung – 50.9 (112 snaps)

Brown is third on the team with 16.0 tackles. 11.0 of those stops came in the Big Ten opener against Maryland. The senior safety is also second on Wisconsin with two pass breakups.

The highest-graded player in the secondary, Zachman, owns 12.0 tackles and a team-high 2.0 interceptions. Zachman did not play in last Saturday’s loss to the Terrapins due to injury.

In the nickel this season, Latimer has 11.0 stops. Hallman leads the cornerbacks with three pass breakups, while Agard has the lone interception.

ONE POSITIVE TREND FOR WISCONSIN

The tackling of Wisconsin’s secondary appears to be much improved. This has been an issue for years, but you saw, specifically in the Alabama game, where the Badgers were out-gunned athletically, they were able to make the initial stop, and outside of one instance with Ryan Williams, able to avoid giving up the huge play.

Based on fall camp, we knew Agard would struggle. Not only is he a freshman, but Agard is much more of a cover corner than someone who wants to stick his face in the fan. He has three missed tackles on nine attempts. Hallman is right behind him with two missed tackles, but on 14 attempts. Those are the only two players in the secondary with at least two missed tackles.

This group has also been much cleaner in the box, despite the loss of Hunter Wohler. Brown has five “stops” this season. Per PFF, a stop is a tackle made by the defense that results in a failure for the offense. Hallman (4) and Agard (3) are also contributing in that area.

ONE NEGATIVE TREND FOR WISCONSIN

It’s been pretty obvious — Wisconsin is getting picked on through the air. The Badgers are surrendering 234 yards per game through the air, which is about average in FBS. However, their opponent’s passer rating of 147.3 ranks No. 95. Opposing quarterbacks are also completing 63 percent of their passes. You take out the first two wins over Miami (OH) and Middle Tennessee, and quarterbacks are completing a combined 67 percent of their passes for 647 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. Both Maryland and Alabama had a handful of drops in those games as well.

GRADE: C-

Have to be a little concerned by the play of some of the veterans. Specifically at cornerback, we went into this season thinking no teams were going to throw at Hallman. Why would they when they can test unproven corners? Well, teams aren’t shying away from the guy who led the nation in interceptions two seasons ago.

After not seeing much action last season, Hallman has been targeted the most out of any Wisconsin player in 2025. He’s seen 23 balls thrown his way, allowing 17 receptions for 223 yards and three touchdowns.

Latimer has been a nice addition from Jacksonville State, but it’s been up and down thus far. He’s allowed 12 receptions on 18 attempts. Three of those 12 catches have gone for touchdowns. Why I don’t love the PFF grades, they are very subjective. Case and point, Latimer gets dinged for the 75-yard screen pass score against Alabama, when in reality, all 11 players on the field are responsible for that debacle. That sends his passing yards allowed (248) through the roof.

Hallman and Latimer have surrendered over 220 yards through the air, per PFF. Everyone else in the secondary is under 75. You’d like to see more plays on the football, which has been a pretty common theme for this group. But context matters. The Badgers only had four interceptions in 2024. They already own three in 2025. In these last two games, the pressure from the front seven has also fallen off, which makes the job of the secondary a lot harder.

I’ll go with a C-, but I wouldn’t argue a D at this point in the season as Maryland and Alabama both made it look way too easy at times.