BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Following a post-practice tutorial with Cade Green on technique and tricks of the trade in fielding punts, Jim Leonhard was greeted by four members of Team Pearson, including Reginald Sr. and Nicole, the parents of Reggie Pearson, a redshirt freshman safety from Inkster, Michigan.
The Pearson clan was in Madison last weekend to see their son.
After Friday's practice, Leonhard outlined his development.
"Reggie learned a lot last year — got some experience, played some games, went through some adversity," said the third-year Wisconsin defensive coordinator and fourth-year secondary coach. "Physically, he was ready. Mentally, it was a different challenge."
An early-season injury made that transition even more challenging.
"Obviously you get young guys who are very close to having significant roles," Leonhard said. "Going through injuries and missing opportunities, it affects guys in different way. I thought Reggie handled it really well. I liked his approach."
What he really liked was a new NCAA redshirt rule implemented last season whereby players can appear in up to four games and still redshirt, thus preserving that full year of eligibility. Pearson, Donte Burton, Alexander Smith and Travian Blaylock were the defensive backs who qualified.
Each played in four games. Each has four years of eligibility remaining.
"Reggie is a great example of what that rule is for," Leonhard said. "He got injured going into week one and missed three or four games. The year before, the same thing happened to Scott Nelson and we decided to redshirt him, whereas we were able to continue to develop him (Pearson).
"It benefited Reggie and our football team."
In his first game action as a collegian, Pearson started against Michigan in the Big House. As a prep, he made the Detroit News All-State Dream Team as a junior and senior at River Rouge High School, a 45-minute drive from Michigan Stadium. So, he wasn't lacking any motivation for the Wolverines.
It showed in his play, too. He had five tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.
"He has put himself in a position," Leonhard said, "to expand his role from last season."
That could apply to many in the secondary, he acknowledged. Because of injuries, Leonhard was forced to utilize 10 different starters over the last eight games, including Pearson and cornerbacks Rachad Wildgoose and Burton. All three were true freshmen.
"How much confidence can they gain from that experience?" Leonhard posed rhetorically. "A lot of them are showing they've taken the next step. The competition is really, really good. There are a lot of guys who can play big roles for us — and have in the past — and are better than they were.
"I trust knowing who those kids are and the way they work and their love for football that they have taken a big jump forward because they care," Leonhard said. "They've put in a lot of time and effort to take their game — and their understanding of it — to the next level, which gets me very excited."
Outside linebacker, he said, will be another very competitive position group in training camp.
"There are giant roles that are out there and those guys know that," said Leonhard, recognizing fifth-year senior Zack Baun as the only returning starter at OLB. "We're trying to figure out exactly how much we can put on each individual kid and what is the best role for each."
One of the intriguing prospects is Izayah Green-May, a 6-foot-6, 221-pound redshirt sophomore.
"He took a big jump forward (this offseason) just with his weight," Leonhard said. "You knew he had a huge frame and tremendous upside and his body was going to take a little time to get there. He has great energy. He's a vocal guy and it's always fun to get him on the field and see him make plays."
Nobody was more vocal than D'Cota Dixon, the undisputed catalyst of Leonhard's secondary.
"Obviously that's all I've known since being a coach — just his maturity and leadership," Leonhard said of Dixon, an undrafted rookie free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "He was so consistent with his message and it was so positive."
Leonhard admitted that it "feels different" hearing others now take on that mantle in practice.
"But you're starting to see the leaders emerge, and that's exciting," he said. "Right now, I would say there are three guys that I can really hear and feel in those roles."
Leonhard listed cornerback Faion Hicks and two safeties, Nelson and Eric Burrell.
"When others are unsure in the field, or within their position group," he said, "they're a lot of guys looking that way and that's a good thing for us."
As a player and coach, Leonhard has always been a stickler for detail.
"That's how you win," he said. "Our guys love football and love the creativity … they're big-picture kids that want to know what the guy next to them is doing and how that affects them. In order to do that, you have to be very detailed. It puts a lot of pressure on you as a coach to be efficient."
The key is making sure there are no loose ends — literally and figuratively.
It's why the 36-year-old Leonhard fields punts every few days after practice.
He wants to stay sharp while teaching others some of the proper techniques.
Like he was doing with Green, a redshirt sophomore, following last Friday's practice.
"I love coaching it," said Leonhard, the school's all-time leader in punt returns, "because there's an art to it and it's a skill that not everyone can do. There are a lot of tricks to the trade that I was able to pick up just through experience. And I love to try and pass that on to guys."
No detail, after all, is too small.
It's why he used the offseason to critique his own performance as a defensive coordinator.
"Taking a look at scheme, what can we do to help our guys more?" Leonhard asked of himself. "Are we doing things just because we've done them before? Or can we make it better? I had a lot of conversations in trying to find new ideas knowing that you don't have all the right answers."
It's why the Pearson family greeted Leonhard so warmly. They know their son is in good hands.
