Hunter Wohler Receives High Praise from Wisconsin Football Coaching Staff

A large faction of the Wisconsin football fanbase expected Muskego native Hunter Wohler to break out for the Badgers’ defense during his sophomore season. However, a leg injury suffered in the season opener against Illinois State put those expectations to rest. 

Wohler went on to miss seven games before returning in week 10 against Maryland. The former four-star recruit made up for lost time, registering 21 tackles, 11 stops, one TFL, plus an interception in six games. 

During those six games, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound safety showed immense versatility in his 213 total snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, Wohler played 20 snaps up on the DL, 76 in the box, 98 at FS, and 17 in the slot. It’s also worth noting he graded out as the fifth-best tackler on the Wisconsin football team among those who played at least 100 snaps (79.1). 

Wisconsin Football Coaches Have Been Impressed With Hunter Wohler.

Under the previous regime, Hunter Wohler was seen as Jim Leonhard’s next-star pupil and a core defensive player to build around. And even though a lot has changed since fall camp opened last season — expectations for the third-year safety have stayed the same. 

“He has a combination of a skill set that is very versatile, off-field intelligence, and football instincts,” Tressel told reporters. “That allows us to use him in a lot of ways, and mentally, he’s really, really sharp. 

“When a guy does multiple things on the football field, whether it’s playing a couple of different positions or being asked to do a variety of assignments, you can’t cover every single situation that an offense might run against every position. When you have a guy with natural football instincts, you can trust him to do more things.”

Wohler has always been lauded for his high football IQ. That’s why defensive coordinator Mike Tressel trusts him to play the ‘Dollar’ position this season — entrusting him to be a playmaker in the Wisconsin football secondary. 

“I think the things off the field, the things he brings to the entire program, far outweigh what he brings to the field,” coach Fickell said. “He’s as good as I’ve seen just playing the game, natural instincts.”

Now the Wisconsin native is finally in a position to make good on those breakout predictions and cement himself onto the NFL’s radar as a safety that can tackle, play up in the box, or man center field and make plays on the ball. Wohler has star potential. 

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