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The Badgers cornerback earned a prestigious honor ahead of the season.
One of the Wisconsin Badgers’ defense leaders just received more accolades before the start of the season.
Redshirt junior cornerback Ricardo Hallman was named a second-team preseason All-American defensive back by the Associated Press. It is another accolade for the returning starter, who is etching his name into one of the best cornerbacks in Badgers’ history.
Last season, Hallman started all thirteen games for the Badgers, where he tied the 2023 Bronko Nagurski Award winner Xavier Watts of Notre Dame with an NCAA-leading seven interceptions.
Those seven interceptions were the most by a Wisconsin Badger cornerback since Jamar Fletcher, who coincidentally was another All-American CB who wore No. 2.
Ricardo Hallman’s 2023 season garnered national recognition. After the season, Hallman landed on the Associated Press All-American Third-team and the Media All-Big Ten Third Team. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Hallman received an 83.5 overall grade, qualifying him as one of the top 10 returning cornerbacks in the Big Ten.
Hallman’s 37.4 PFF passer rating allowed was ninth among active FBS cornerbacks. Given his success defending the pass, it was unsurprising to see Hallman as an honorable mention for PFF’s Top 10 returning cornerbacks for 2024.
During this offseason, Ricardo Hallman and teammate Hunter Wohler were named to the Chuck Bednarik Award watchlist for 2024. Both teammates were rated over 90 in the EA Sports NCAA 25 video game.
The Wisconsin Badgers open their season against the Western Michigan Broncos on August 30th, where hopefully Hallman can add to his career interception total.