A cornerback has risen to the top in the search for Fourqurean's replacement

Scott Ash / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After starting cornerback Nyzir Fourqurean was deemed ineligible to play, head coach Luke Fickell and the Badgers had to quickly turn their attention to finding his replacement. And while some are still holding out hope that Fourqurean can play in 2025, one defensive back has risen to the top of the list of names that could fill in.

Omillio Agard, the redshirt freshman, has been a constant playmaker for Wisconsin throughout their fall camp. The 5-foot-11 corner has been causing havoc for the Badger offense for the past two weeks, including a two interception day this morning.

Could redshirt freshman Agard really move into a starting role?

While the battle for the starting job was initially up for grabs among Agard, D'Yoni Hill and maybe even slot Geimere Latimer, it seems the Omillio has been the one to consistently make plays. Fickell even hinted that the young defensive back would be getting some significant action, regardless of how the Fourqurean situation plays out.

"They [freshman] are going to play this year, in what capacity and how much, how much on defense, how much on special teams, I don't know. But I can tell you this, they aren't going to be freshmen by the time this camp is over and by the time we get into week three and four. "

With the uncertain surrounding the opposite corner of Ricardo Hallman, it's great to see that Wisconsin has a really solid option in the event Fourqurean truly can't suit up. While Agard didn't see any action in 2024, his camp has seemingly been good enough to trust him starting on the boundary.