Wisconsin Football Wants ‘More Physical’ Options in the Nickel Role

On the first day of Wisconsin Badgers spring football practice, Luke Fickell and his staff had safety Austin Brown in the nickel spot, much like they did against LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl. 

Some initially viewed it as a temporary solution prompted by depth issues. Due to the junior’s impressive versatility, the Badgers coaches may have a chance to explore some outside-the-box options in the slot.

When asked about some of the candidates to fill the void left behind by Jason Maitre, Fickell seemed more interested in looking at bigger options that can provide the Wisconsin football defense with a different look. 

“That’s what you love about Austin. You look out there, and you got a guy at 6-foot-1, 6-foot-2 .. 210-215 pounds that’s different than a lot of nickel backs that we had in the past played with,” Fickell told reporters. 

Wisconsin Football Likes Austin Brown and Max Lofy in the Slot

In 2023, Brown appeared in all 13 games for the Badgers. The Illinois native registered 36 tackles, five pressures, two pass deflections, and a sack while playing a career-high 346 snaps.

According to Pro Football Focus, Brown finished with a 67.1 defensive grade, which is considered above average by their metric.

With Wisconsin football returning an established safety room that includes the likes of Hunter Wohler, Kamo’i Latu, and Preston Zachman, all of whom saw meaningful snaps, finding ways to get Brown on the field in another capacity makes plenty of sense from where I’m sitting.

Fickell also mentioned redshirt senior Max Lofy, who missed the entire 2023 season due to injury, as a potential option to see time in the slot. 

“Max [Lofy] is kind of that way too,” Fickell said. “He’s a guy that was a corner, was a nickel, but that position has grown a little bit in the sense that we want guys that are a little bit more physical, guys that can provide some different things as opposed to just .. sometimes what a nickel does is just cover. 

“I think that’s allowed us to figure out what we’ve got and how we evolve with the people we got.”

My two cents on this situation: I love the idea of Wisconsin football finding ways to get as many long and athletic chess pieces on the field as possible to elevate Mike Tressel’s defense.

Brown, in particular, is someone who I think has great upside and will be an impactful defender for the Badgers. He’s big enough to send after the quarterback and be an asset in the run game — while being athletic and versatile enough to drop back and cover some wideouts and tight ends.

Fickell and company were aggressive in the transfer portal this offseason on the defensive side of the ball. Given the Badgers’ inflow of talent at the inside and outside linebacker spots, plus the return of star players like Ricardo Hallman and Wohler, adding another layer of intricacy could help the defense become more multiple and take a noticeable step forward.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. For more Wisconsin Badgers Athletics and Big Ten content, follow us on Twitter & Facebook. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher @DillonGraff at Dillon.T.Graff@gmail.com. 

Also, be sure to check out our shop, subscribe to our newsletter, and the BadgerNotes After Dark podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. Because of your support, we have become one of the fastest-growing independent media outlets focused on giving a voice to the fans!