Wisconsin safety Hunter Wohler has grown comfortable dishing out tough love to help Badgers win

MADISON – Athletes who publicly criticize their teammates over a perceived lack of effort or for failing to put the interests of the team above all else need at least two entries on their personal résumé.

First, they must be able to back up their words with performance.

If you can’t play, your teammates will tune you out.

Second, they must be willing to conduct a thorough self-assessment to find ways in which they can be better individually and, as a result, make the team better.

If you can’t critique the guy in the mirror, it's probably wise to avoid talking about the guys on either side of you in the locker room or in the huddle.

Senior safety Hunter Wohler has earned the right to speak his mind and he has the blessing of Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell.

Luke Fickell has given Hunter Wohler the green light to speak his mind to his teammates

“You’ve got to do some things with leadership that aren’t always popular,” Fickell said. “You’ve got to be honest and at times that means people aren’t going to like you.

“I think as long as you can back it up and as long as you’re the guy people look to, I think that’s what we need.

“I’ve kind of asked him and pushed him to be one of those guys because he’s got everything that we’re looking for to build a program, to build a culture, to build a locker room around.

“If we can continue to create that with guys like him, that will become the culture of what it is that we need.”

Wohler is scheduled attend the Big Ten preseason meetings on Tuesday in Indianapolis, along with Fickell, linebacker Jake Chaney and offensive tackle Jack Nelson.

The thoughtful but normally reserved safety from Muskego High School caught observers off-guard last season after UW’s ugly 24-10 home loss to Northwestern.

Wohler calmly but purposefully noted that he thought not every member of the team had embraced the coaching change.

“Guys have got to look inside themselves and find out who they really are and if they really want to play this game and if they really want to be a part of this team,” he said at the time. “Because this is not what I came to Wisconsin for.”

Hunter Wohler put together a terrific 2023 season but wants to make more plays in 2024

Wohler went on to lead UW in solo tackles (74), total tackles (120) and passes broken up with six.

He was the only defensive back in the nation to record at least 110 tackles and at least two interceptions and his total of 74 solo stops was the best nationally among defensive backs.

In looking back on his junior season, Wohler said he didn’t make enough big plays for a team that finished 5-4 in the Big Ten and 7-6 overall.

“That is the biggest thing for me this year – finding those plays where you can flash,” he said. “Just finding ways to be that guy. It sounds cliché, but SportsCenter Top 10 plays. That type of play is what I need to create and ultimately what the defense needs to create.

“I had some. But you’d always like to have more. It is just finding those opportunities to take your shot.

“Obviously, you have to be smart when you do take those shots because playing safety a lot of times you’re the last line of defense."

Alex Grinch, preparing for his first season as UW’s co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach, saw enough of Wohler in the spring to expect such plays in 2024.

As was the case last season, the staff intends to deploy Wohler all over the formation depending on the opponent and down and distance.

“He is one of those guys you don’t find a lot of deficiencies,” Grinch said. “How can we get him at the point of attack? You want him in the post, but you want him in man coverage. You want him in the flat, but you want him also on the hash. There’s only one of him.

“I could downplay it but that would be inaccurate on my part to do so. He is a dude.”

Wohler was asked during the spring if he felt any regret about making his striking comments after the loss to Northwestern.

His answer: No.

“It might be blunt,” he said. “It might be straightforward. It might hurt some people’s feelings. But at the end of the day if we’re not being honest with each other, we’re not going to take any steps forward.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin safety Hunter Wohler has grown comfortable dishing out tough love to help Badgers win