UW FOOTBALL: Despite depth, Badgers have secondary concerns

The University of Wisconsin football team won the Rose Bowl after the 1998 season with a pair of redshirt freshmen starting at cornerback. - College Football -
The Badgers have two talented redshirt freshman cornerbacks this year in Allen Langford and Jack Ikegwuonu, who might be as ready to play as Jamar Fletcher and Mike Echols were seven years ago. - College Football -
Yet, if all goes according to plan, Langford and Ikegwuonu will get their introduction to college football gradually, as extra defensive backs in passing situations and on special teams.
That kind of depth in the secondary was not the case for several years, when players such as like cornerbacks Scott Starks and B.J. Tucker were forced to play before they were ready. That started to change last year, when the Badgers were able to redshirt Langford, Ikegwuonu and Antonio Freeman and still had a defense that ranked seventh nationally in passing yards, allowing an average of 167.2 per game. - College Football -
"The depth in our secondary is incredible," senior cornerback Brett Bell said.
It starts with two seniors in Bell and Levonne Rowan, who are listed as the starters at cornerback, although there are questions about both. Bell tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee for a second time - he also did it as a senior in high school - on the first day of offseason workouts in January. - College Football -
Rowan has played a lot the past three years, including nine starts in 2003, but has been inconsistent and was working behind Langford for much of spring practice.
If Bell is healthy - he has been cleared to practice when camp opens today, but admits he is still bothered by pain in the knee - he is precisely what the Badgers need.
"I'd like to see him stay healthy and just pick up where he left off (last year)," coach Barry Alvarez said. "If he did that, we'd have what I consider a shut-down corner, somebody that can go out and eliminate a receiver." - College Football -
At the pro timing day in February, Rowan measured a shade taller than 6 feet, weighed 195 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in a blistering 4.31 seconds. He was hampered by injuries last year, including a planter fascia injury to his right foot a week before camp opened. Instead of battling Bell for the starting job, Rowan admittedly fell into a funk that lasted well into the season. - College Football -
But Bell has seen signs Rowan is ready to take advantage of this final opportunity.
"He knows what's expected of him," Bell said. "I think he knows he needs to step up.
"This offseason is going to help him a lot. He made a lot of strides. He worked hard this offseason. It's the hardest I've ever seen him work."
Bell is one of many people around the program who can't say enough good things about Langford and Ikegwuonu. - College Football -
"Jack is one of the best athletes I've ever seen come in, especially at that young of an age," Bell said. "Allen has got long arms. He's smart. He works incredibly hard. There's Antonio Freeman. There are guys that are just incredible athletes that just need some experience before they can really shine. But they're going to be good players."
While the Badgers will have two new starting safeties, there is some experience and depth at those positions as well. - College Football -
Junior strong safety Johnny White started the first two games last year, before giving way to Robert Brooks.
"Johnny is what you look for in a safety," Alvarez said. "You talk about a guy that's 220 pounds and can go from the hash to the sideline and come up and fill like a linebacker, that's Johnny White. He just has to be more patient, more disciplined in reading his keys and playing off of his keys." - College Football -
Junior Roderick Rogers gets the first crack at free safety, although he was being pushed hard in the spring by former walk-on Zach Hampton. Junior Joe Stellmacher is fully recovered after suffering a broken leg as a redshirt freshman in 2003 and will compete for playing time behind White and in specialty defenses.
"There's going to be competition every day in the secondary," Bell said. "I got hurt in the offseason. I'm not even guaranteed my spot. I don't think there's any spot on the defense that's guaranteed right now because there's so much depth and so much competition that's going to make us better." - College Football -

Wisconsin State Journal