A lot of Wisconsin football fans have moaned when an opposing quarterback has dropped back to throw over the past couple years. After all, they’ve gotten used to repeatedly seeing the Badgers get beat downfield by the Big Ten’s best, and sometimes mediocre, receivers. Wisconsin surrendered 235.5 passing yards per game last season.
In spring practices, players have a chance to step up and get the inside track on starting positions heading into the next season. That’s exactly what Jim Leonhard and Ryan Aiello, Wisconsin’s two starting safeties, did during last year’s spring practices.
So with a full season of experience under their belts, those two know they’ll be the starters heading into next season. But in an effort to accentuate their strengths, they’ve switched safety positions. Leonhard, who led the nation with 10 interceptions last season, will move from strong safety to free safety, while Aiello, a very capable tackler, will move from free safety to strong safety.
The change aims to help Leonhard roam the field more in search of interceptions, while Aiello will be free to move up to the line for run support. All in all, however, their positions will often overlap, as they did last season. So maybe it’s probably more appropriate to simply call them safeties.
“We’re pretty much doing the same thing as last year,” Leonhard said. “There were certain things last year where we were overlapping positions, whereas this year we’re just keeping it more consistent. I’ll be free a little more than Ryan. Ryan will be a little more on the tight ends, up on the line of scrimmage a little more than me.”
New defensive backs coach Ron Lee put it more bluntly, saying Leonhard and Aiello are just switching names, not positions.
“(Jim) was a free safety last year, too, but they called him a strong safety,” he said. “They’re going to be interchangeable, where sometimes Jim has to come down and be on the run, and Ryan has to be back roaming the field, and vice versa. So they’re interchangeable at the position.”
The experience of Leonhard and Aiello should help to improve things at the safety spot. But things aren’t so cut and dry at the cornerback positions. While Scott Starks, who will be a junior next fall, stakes obvious claim to one spot, the spot left vacated by the departed B.J. Tucker is basically up for grabs. According to Lee and Leonhard, three players have stepped up in spring practice in an attempt to fill the void: Brett Bell, Chuck Cowans and Johnny Sylvain.
“There’s great competition between Bell and Chuck, and throw Johnny Sylvain in there,” Lee said. “It’s real close right now, and that’s what I want. There’s not a really big drop between any of them. Starks has some experience, but there’s really not a big drop for the rest of them.”
Leonhard also mentioned that safety Robert Brooks might be having the best spring out of anyone, and Lee agreed.
“I think Robert Brooks is maturing as a player, first of all,” Lee said. “He’s got a year under his belt, and now he’s got a chance to go out there and push. He’s making a strong push at the safety position. That’s what’s so great about it. He and Dontez (Sanders) are pushing Ryan (Aiello), and that’s what you want. That’s going to force everybody to elevate their performance.”
Elevated performance is exactly what the Wisconsin secondary needs come next fall. But that can only become a reality if competition and changes can be seen during the spring.
“I’m pleased. With the new coach, it’s different stuff, and a lot of guys are getting looks, but I think overall we’re getting stuff nailed down,” Leonhard said. “We’re seeing a lot of things, so overall this spring has really helped out.”
