Sojourn Shelton
Wisconsin has not recently been known for its secondary, but sophomore cornerback Sojourn Shelton has the potential to change that. After an impressive freshman season, Shelton seems poised to take advantage of his opportunity to lead the Badger’s secondary this year.
Coming out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Shelton was the first freshman to start a season-opening game for the Badgers since Travis Frederick in 2009. Shelton lead the team with four interceptions and eight passes defensed during the 2013 season. Shelton’s four interceptions tied for third in the Big Ten, were third among the nation’s true freshmen and were the most ever by a Badger true freshman.
However, Shelton also showed his inexperience at times last season, as he developed a habit of getting called for pass interference. Arizona State’s passing offense exploited Shelton during their matchup, leading to numerous pass interference calls against him. However, with another year to grow, Shelton should improve his footwork and positioning to face the ball more often.
Shelton could emerge as the face of a secondary that returns three of four starters. Shelton, redshirt junior cornerback Darius Hillary and redshirt junior safety Michael Caputo may be the strength of a defense that lost all seven of its primary starters up front.
Shelton will have the opportunity to show off his improvement from the offseason when he faces off against the likes of Nebraska senior wide receiver Kenny Bell and Maryland junior wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
If Shelton can avoid a sophomore slump, he will continue to develop into the leader of the Badger secondary needs.
Derek Landisch
Unfortunately for the Badgers, the day they have been dreading for the past few years is finally upon them. 2013 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Big Ten Linebacker of the Year Chris Borland has moved on to the NFL and the San Francisco 49ers. Wisconsin needs to fill the leadership role in the linebacking corps and senior linebacker Derek Landisch seems to be the one who will fill the void on the inside.
Landisch started two games and played in 13 during the 2013 season, most notably recording three tackles and one forced fumble during the Capital One Bowl against South Carolina. He finished eighth on the team in tackles with 33 last season.
Landisch will not only be tasked with replacing Borland’s production but also with helping to replace the production of the entire linebacking corp from the 2013 season, which will also be without Ethan Armstrong, Brendan Kelly and Conor O’Neill.
Landisch is by far the most experienced of Wisconsin’s expected starting linebackers, leading the unit with 38 games played and three starts. Junior outside linebacker Joe Schobert, redshirt senior inside linebacker Marcus Trotter and redshirt sophomore outside linebacker Vince Biegel have combined for a total of 53 games played and four starts.
Landisch suffered a hamstring injury during practice Aug. 13. He is expected to be ready for the Badgers’ opening game against LSU on Aug. 30 in Houston.
While nobody can completely replace what Borland meant to Wisconsin’s defense, Landisch should be able to fill his leadership role well.
Chikwe Obasih
Not many have felt the benefit of Wisconsin’s strength and conditioning program like redshirt freshman defensive end Chikwe Obasih. The Brookfield, Wis., native was listed at 235 pounds when he signed with the Badgers in February of 2013 and is coming into the 2014 season listed at 268 pounds.
Despite Obasih’s added weight, he is still the lightest starter on the defensive line, which the Badgers hope will bring speed off the edge in the pass rush, an element Wisconsin’s defense lacked last year.
Obasih is expected to be joined on the line by redshirt senior defensive end Konrad Zagzebski and redshirt senior nose guard Warren Herring. While Obasih has no playing experience, Zagzebski and Herring have a combined 65 games played and five games started.
Herring is expected to be the leader of the defensive line but Obasih has the chance to be the x-factor to push the unit over the top. After starting the spring out as a third string lineman, Obasih has done nothing but impress on his way to earning a spot in the starting lineup.
Obasih has not only used the offseason to gain weight but also has used it to improve his technique and understanding of defensive schemes. Obasih has constantly been working with defensive line coach Chad Kauha’aha’a and fellow defensive linemen Herring and Zagzebski.
Despite his lack of experience, Obasih has shown the maturity required to continue to improve his game. Now, he just has to turn preseason hype into on-field production.
