Wisconsin defensive coordinator Mike Tressel talks cornerback depth and building toughness

MADISON – Before leaving for fall camp at UW-Platteville, University of Wisconsin defensive coordinator Mike Tressel made his appearance at Badgers media day.

During a 20-minute interview he addressed a multitude of topics including the team’s cornerback situation, its bigger (and potentially better) defensive front, the need to handle adversity better and the benefits of practicing against the team’s new offense.

Here are three things we learned.

Cornerbacks’ versatility will be tested

Before Tressel took questions, a member of University of Wisconsin communications spokesman said the school had not received a response to the appeal it filed with the NCAA on behalf of Nyzier Fourqurean.

Tressel spoke about the depth of the secondary. Redshirt freshmen Omillio Agard is Fourqurean’s backup, but two older players, junior Geimere Latimer, who was the first-team nickel corner during spring ball, and senior D’Yoni Hill, who backed up Ricardo Hallman at the field corner spot, are also intriguing prospects. Both transferred into the program during the offseason.

Can Latimer or Hill play boundary corner, which is a more physical corner spot?

“They're still young enough with us that we're still evaluating that and trying to make the best decisions,” Tressel said. “I will tell you this. I don't believe either of them shy away from contact. I think they both can run so that at least gives us the skill set to try them at both and now we have to evaluate their true comfort level.”

Defense’s ability to handle adversity will be challenged

The Badgers failed to meet the challenge in a variety of ways down the stretch last season.

They allowed three of their four highest yardage totals during the five straight losses to end the year. In losing trophy games to Nebraska and Iowa the defense forced an average of just 2 ½ punts.

Tressel chalked up those struggles to depth issues and a lack of size on the defense. But he also noted the unit did not handle tough moments well.

Those situations will be a point of emphasis during camp.

“Every instance of adversity, I'm going to be looking for signs of resilience,” Tressel said. “I'm going to look at how you respond, what are the signs of resilience, every opportunity that we get and hopefully the guys understand that there's going to be adversity and Coach Tress is looking to see how we respond every time. That's going to help us.”

New offense could toughen up defense, too

When asked about the challenge of facing the Badgers new offense, Tressel spoke about how the scheme causes the defense to constantly adjust and test the players’ eye discipline.

Tressel also noted that the physical nature of the offense should rub off on the defense.

“I love the fact that we're getting punched in the mouth every day and hopefully doing our fair share of punching in the mouth as well,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin defensive coordinator Mike Tressel media day takeaways