MoxDash

MADISON, Wis. — Hunter Wohler had served his one-year Wisconsin football apprenticeship, learning the ropes as a reserve freshman safety while earning the majority of his snaps on special teams. By the time his sophomore season arrived last year, it felt inevitable to those around the team that Wohler was about to produce a big year as a first-time starter. Talent. Instincts. Sure tackling. It was all there.

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All Wohler needed were the in-game reps to showcase his ability. But during the third quarter of Wisconsin’s opening 38-0 win against Illinois State, Wohler broke his left leg in his first career start. He missed the next seven games and played the last five contests as a reserve. Wohler finished with 21 tackles and an interception. It was far from the year he envisioned for himself.

“Injuries suck,” Wohler said. “It’s never fun, especially when coming into the year, you’re planning and expecting to have a big year. And then to get hurt the first game, mentally it obviously takes a toll on you just because you have these expectations and then there’s nothing you can do.”

Through four games of his junior season, Wohler is making up for lost time.

Wohler leads the team with 41 tackles, and no one else is even close (inside linebacker Jake Chaney ranks second with 23 tackles). His 30 solo tackles rank tied for second in the country. Two weeks ago, Wohler earned Big Ten defensive player of the week honors after racking up 10 tackles, two interceptions and a sack in Wisconsin’s 35-14 victory against Georgia Southern. Wohler became the first Wisconsin player to record 10-plus tackles in three consecutive games since inside linebacker Leo Chenal in 2021.

“He’s just an amazing player,” safety Preston Zachman said. “He’s someone that rarely ever messes up. He’s always in the right place, where he’s supposed to be every single play. It’s been showing all season.”

😤 @HunterWohler said not today ❌@BadgerFootball pic.twitter.com/CSZcLh2qfu

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 22, 2023

Wohler is taking advantage of his opportunities in a defense that is uniquely catered to his skill set. First-year Badgers defensive coordinator Mike Tressel has implemented a 3-3-5 system that also utilizes six defensive backs and puts Wohler closer to the box by lining him up at linebacker depth. Per PFF, he’s lined up in the box on 149 of his 289 snaps. That gives Wohler chances to make plays near the line of scrimmage or drop into coverage. He made an outstanding diving interception in the end zone during the third quarter against Georgia Southern with the Eagles threatening to tie the score.

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“I think his energy, his enthusiasm and his leadership have all been great additions to the team,” inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta said. “Obviously, he’s a playmaker. Dude’s a dog. It’s been really fun to watch him progress.”

Wohler was part of Wisconsin’s 2021 recruiting class, which ranked No. 16 nationally in the 247Sports Composite — the Badgers’ highest-rated class in the internet recruiting rankings era. Some players can be difficult to project in the college game. Four-star prospect Braelon Allen, for example, reclassified as a member of the 2021 class and initially was recruited as a safety and then a linebacker before he transitioned to running back. But Wohler clearly looked like a big-time safety prospect for his entire prep career.

His Muskego High School teams went undefeated during his three varsity seasons, going 37-0 with two state titles. He notched an astounding 155 tackles and five interceptions as a sophomore in 2018, which included 15 tackles in a state championship victory against Kimberly for the program’s first state title. The following season, he racked up 122 tackles and won another state title. Muskego football coach Ken Krause described him as “one of the biggest difference-makers I have ever seen” because of the way he could defend offensive players as a linebacker or cover ground to deliver punishing hits on the back end at safety.

Wohler’s college decision ultimately came down to Wisconsin or Ohio State. Wohler became the first non-lineman from the state of Wisconsin to earn a scholarship offer from Ohio State since the 2010 class. Wohler visited Ohio State twice, once after participating in a 7-on-7 football camp in Columbus and once for a gameday experience.

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Ohio State co-defensive coordinators Greg Mattison and Jeff Hafley pushed for him hard. Coaches from both schools visited Wohler’s high school two days after they played each other in the 2019 Big Ten Championship Game. Wohler picked Wisconsin after attending a bowl practice as Wisconsin prepared to play Oregon in the Rose Bowl. It represented a major recruiting win because Wohler, at the time of his commitment, was the only four-star safety from the state of Wisconsin in the internet recruiting rankings era. Allen also was rated as a four-star safety before he switched positions. Wohler said he came “close” to choosing Ohio State.

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“I had built a really good relationship with some of the coaches over there,” Wohler said. “Obviously they’re historically successful and they’ve been successful the last 10, 15 years, however many it is. So I was very close. The visits I had there, I really enjoyed. But ultimately when I step back and look at it, this is home. This always has been home and I really can’t see myself being anywhere else but here.”

The coaches who recruited Wohler from both schools are gone. Mattison retired, Hafley is the head coach at Boston College and Wisconsin’s entire staff underwent a change last season. Wohler said it taught him the value of picking a school and a program for its culture, what it stands for and how it lines up with a player’s beliefs rather than choosing a coach.

Wisconsin’s new coaching staff quickly identified Wohler as an important playmaker in the defense. Luke Fickell said Wohler’s versatility stood out to him when he first arrived late last year. Wohler missed most of bowl practices leading up to Wisconsin’s appearance in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against Oklahoma State because of a hamstring injury, but he still played 28 snaps and made a pair of tackles.

“I was surprised how well he played and even that he was able to play from not practicing,” Fickell said. “So that was probably my first indication that there’s some natural things that he does really well.”

Wohler said he spent the offseason undergoing a transformation of sorts in terms of his leadership skills and knowledge base. With senior safety John Torchio moving on, Wohler’s role as a vocal leader became more important in his position room. He spent considerable time trying not only to understand Tressel’s new systems, but also developing a firmer awareness of offensive schemes and route concepts.

Those adjustments have helped to make Wohler one of the most valuable players on the team, even if it has come a year later than he anticipated.

“You just kind of see the everyday grind and for someone like him, it was something that didn’t come right away,” Allen said. “He really had to kind of work his way up the ranks, play behind some really good guys. He just came in every day and tried to gain as much knowledge as possible, be the best version of himself every day. It’s definitely paid off.”

(Photo: Dan Sanger / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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