Wisconsin Football Captain Earns High Praise from National Analyst

Wisconsin Badgers head football coach Luke Fickell has plenty of questions to answer heading into his second year leading the program.

One question the Badgers won’t need to address during spring practice or even fall camp, for that matter, is the starting ‘Dollar’ position because Hunter Wohler, set to be one of the team captains in 2024, has it on lock.

With Austin Brown, Kamo’i Latu, and Preston Zachman set to return, the Wisconsin Badgers will have their entire two deep at safety back in the fold, potentially making it one of their better position groups—headlined by Wohler, who earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2023.

Pro Football Focus data analyst Dalton Wasserman ranked Wohler as the No. 79 player in the country last season, praising the Muskego product for being ‘as dynamic as any safety in college football.’

One of the top returning DBs in the country😤@BadgerFootball pic.twitter.com/zt0Ivwupjc

— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 26, 2024

“Another outstanding Big Ten safety, Wohler ranked second in the country in overall grade and coverage grade this past season,” Wasserman wrote. “His versatility and aggressiveness enabled him to finish fourth in stops (37), which are tackles that constitute a “failure” for the offense. He also racked up 10 pressures — including two sacks — as a blitzer. Wohler is as dynamic as any safety in college football.”

Wisconsin Football Banking on Hunter Wohler Leading the Badgers Defense

The Wisconsin football team, which ended with a 7-6 record, doesn’t resemble the Badgers program that Hunter Wohler admired while growing up. That prompted a return for his senior season, citing ‘unfinished business.’

Wohler established himself as a leader under head coach Luke Fickell following a beatdown at the hands of Northwestern, calling out the team for lack of accountability and being soft. 

“There’s no answers,” Wohler told reporters. “We just have to play better. I mean, we come out soft; we come out flat. We have zero energy on either side of the ball, and we get whooped around the field. There’s no answer to getting smoked. We have to be better. I mean, we’re soft. 

“We’re not physical. We’re not doing the things that coaches ask of us, and we go out there and expect to win. And that’s not how this game works, especially not in the Big Ten.”

Entering his fourth and presumably final season with the Wisconsin football program, Wohler will look to build on a breakout campaign that saw him amass 120 tackles, including 74 solo tackles, 37 stops, 10 pressures, six pass deflections, along with two interceptions, and a sack.

pic.twitter.com/7l7gLXLjGf

— Badgers Film Clips (@Badgers_Film) September 17, 2023

The 6-foot-2, 211-pound safety’s performance garnered him an overall defensive grade of 86.9, with particularly strong ratings in run defense (82.1) and pass coverage (89.1), according to Pro Football Focus. Wohler was also the second-highest-graded safety in the country.

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