Michael Trotter trying to earn playing time in Wisconsin's safety rotation
MADISON, Wis. -- If the safeties on Wisconsin's football team held a race before practice, Michael Trotter knows he wouldn't finish near the top of the leaderboard.
"Speed isn't an asset," said Trotter, a redshirt junior from Racine, Wis, who went to Milwaukee Marquette. "Coming in from high school, that's why only certain D-I schools offered me because I wasn't the fastest guy. Some schools wanted me at outside linebacker instead of safety."
Where Trotter excels, however, is understanding and reading opposing offenses. For Trotter, a two-time academic All-Big Ten award winner, it is an asset he believes gives him a fighting chance as fall practices continue.
Trotter is part of a group of safeties -- including Leo Musso, Michael Caputo and Jeff Lewis -- competing to start alongside senior Dezmen Southward.
"I study offenses and I know a lot of times what they're doing before they do it," Trotter said. "That helps me. If you're in the right spot, it doesn't matter how fast you are. I'm going to keep on working on that, working on my speed and let the best guy win."
Trotter is used to being in the position of battling to earn his keep on Wisconsin's team. Last season, he served as Shelton Johnson's backup and was thrust into the starting role in Week 3 against Utah State after Johnson suffered a broken right forearm. In one of his starts, Trotter recorded a career-high nine tackles against Nebraska.
But after making three starts, Trotter was again relegated to backup status when Johnson returned from injury. He appeared in 13 games and recorded 24 tackles.
Though it would seem natural to move from backup to starter when the starter graduates, that hasn't been the case for Trotter. During the first practice on Monday, for example, Musso was seen earning repetitions with the first-team defense.
"I wouldn't say it's frustrating, but it's almost something that I knew was going to happen coming in because obviously I'm not the fastest guy," Trotter said. "Coaches are going to think obviously Trotter is smart, let's see if there's an athletic guy that's as smart. I understand it, but it's always the challenge. Each year I feel like I have to go and try to beat someone out. I've been successful so far, so I'm going to keep on battling."
Trotter might not emerge as a starter alongside Southward, but there is plenty of reason for optimism that he'll earn significant playing time anyway. Trotter has been featured as part of a package that uses three safeties and places him near the line of scrimmage, similar to the role of a linebacker. There is even a package in defensive coordinator Dave Aranda's 3-4 scheme that uses four safeties on the field at once, which provides Trotter with an even better chance to play.
"The rationale is basically put the people out there who are good at what they do," Trotter said. "Dez is a big guy who's extremely athletic, so they put him at nickel to go against little wide receivers. Then they put me at dime going against a tight end. I'm really good at that. They have Caputo and Musso, the speed guys back there protecting us. The rationale is just putting the best team out there, and I like it so far."
Trotter doesn't know where he stands in the rotation just yet, but he will soon. Wisconsin will hold open scrimmages on Aug. 12 and Aug. 19.
"I'm going to have a good sense of it after the first and second scrimmage," he said. "Last spring after scrimmages I did really well and I was next to (Southward). I think if I can do the same thing, I'll be fine. I'm hoping I'll be a good contributor, and I'm going to be. That's the confidence I have."
Musso shines: One of the players challenging for the starting free safety position is Musso, whose rise to the top of the depth chart has been stunning in many respects.
Musso, a redshirt freshman, arrived on campus having never played any defense in high school. He had been a standout running back at Waunakee High School who rushed for 2,398 yards and 39 touchdowns as a senior.
When Musso signed with Wisconsin, he was listed as an athlete and quickly moved to safety.
"I came here, I didn't know the difference between a cover one or a cover three," Musso said. "So I got here and that was kind of a culture shock at first. And obviously the technical part of playing safety, backpedaling instead of running forward as I did in high school. It took about a year to adjust to that."
Musso noted his biggest improvement came over the summer, when he made sure to watch film in the football offices each day, sometimes two times a day. He also pushed himself in the weight room so he would be more prepared to compete physically.
Musso stands just 5-foot-10 and is listed at 195 pounds, which makes him one of the smallest players on the team. He said he had drawn strength from a couple of his NFL idols, Jim Leonhard and Bob Sanders, who both are 5-8. Leonhard, a former Wisconsin walk-on turned star, now plays for the New Orleans Saints. Musso also cited the play of Badgers wide receiver and kick returner Kenzel Doe, a 5-8 junior who is quickly making a name for himself as well.
"Obviously it's there, but it doesn't bother me one bit," Musso said of his lack of size. "I really don't let that phase me. I try to focus on the task at hand and let that go over my head."
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