MADISON, Wis. — Vondricka Ballard means no disrespect when she says she didn’t want her son to attend the University of Wisconsin to play football. It’s just that she worried about Ricardo Hallman enrolling at a school so far from home that he never had visited because of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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He didn’t know anyone. He hadn’t seen anything. If Ballard had her way, Hallman, a Miami native, would have signed as a cornerback with nearby University of Miami, where he earned a scholarship offer.
Ballard prayed to God each night before the drop-off date in Madison arrived in the summer of 2021. She asked for peace of mind with the decision. She asked that Hallman be kept safe. But, mostly, she asked a higher power to please let Hallman be placed with the right person so he could find a good friend and create a new family when his own couldn’t be there.
That’s when Darryl Peterson showed up.
Peterson, an outside linebacker in Wisconsin’s 2021 class, didn’t know much about Hallman from their recruiting group chats other than Hallman seemed to be fairly quiet and reserved. But Peterson didn’t have a roommate, and neither did Hallman. So Peterson kept texting Hallman about moving in together. Hallman rarely responded, but he gleaned enough of Peterson’s personality through the funny videos and memes Peterson sent that he decided to take a chance and accept the offer.
They finally met in person on move-in day. Ballard remembers how welcoming Peterson and his family were. But what sticks out most to her is that when it was time to leave, Peterson approached her and offered to exchange cell phone numbers — just in case she couldn’t track down Hallman or needed something from Peterson. And that’s when Ballard knew everything was going to be OK.
“They developed a relationship like brothers,” Ballard said. “It just worked out perfectly.”
Darryl Peterson (17) leads Wisconsin in tackles for loss (eight) and sacks (4.5), while Ricardo Hallman leads the Big Ten with five interceptions. (Courtesy of Wisconsin Athletics)Hallman and Peterson have been inseparable since. Spot one after practice running gassers for conditioning, and the other is by his side. They crack jokes, hold each other accountable and lift the spirits of the entire team. That they have become two of the stalwarts for Wisconsin’s defense as sophomore starters this season is a bonus.
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“As soon as we got here, it’s like we automatically clicked,” Hallman said. “So it was so easy to build a relationship. Him and I just became friends so quick. It’s been crazy to see us grow together throughout the years so far here.”
Peterson is considered the more outgoing and outspoken of the two and said he believes he can make anybody laugh, from a true freshman who is nervous to be on campus to a sixth-year senior or a coach. Peterson’s mom, Sara McGee, likes to joke that she was a communications major in college and that rubbed off on Peterson, who has been running his mouth since the day he was born. He loves connecting with people and telling stories.
Ballard said Hallman generally possesses a laid-back spirit. But there is something about the way the personalities of the two friends play off each other that brings Hallman out of his shell. He feels comfortable around Peterson. Hallman, in turn, has allowed Peterson to show even more of who he is. Anyone who has seen them together can tell they have a special connection.
“My mom brought up to me that since D was in elementary school, she felt like he was always looking for someone that would really know him,” McGee said. “D could always make a friend very easily because he’s friendly. But was there somebody that could just really get to know the depth of him? I think Rico just really gets him. He’s one of those friends that can look at him and he knows something happened. You didn’t have a good day. Something’s going on. He knows when to leave him alone, give him space.
“I consider it a blessing that they have each other because you need somebody like that when you’re so far away from home. You need somebody like that in the world, period.”
The shared experiences of Hallman and Peterson have given their friendship a level of depth that means they aren’t afraid to engage in more serious conversations. When Peterson didn’t like how he performed as a reserve early last season — and played just eight snaps in a game against Washington State — Hallman constantly reminded him that it was a long season and that he had put in the work to be ready when the opportunity came. Peterson eventually started three games and recorded his first career fumble recovery and sack in consecutive games.
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Hallman, meanwhile, endured a difficult stretch after he started seven games but was taken out of the lineup entirely for a month following a rough performance during a double-overtime loss to Michigan State. Peterson said he challenged Hallman to remain consistent, in part because he knew Hallman would listen to him more than anyone else.
“He didn’t allow me to get down in the dumps,” Hallman said. “Because at first, it was rough for me just going from starting to not playing many reps at all and just having that terrible game and feeling like I let the team down. He was really a big pivotal guy for me throughout that process in helping me keep my spirits up. I think he was one of the reasons I’m able to have a comeback as well as I did just because he was a guy that held me accountable and made sure I stayed consistent.”
Wisconsin finished a tumultuous 2022 season 7-6, and then the entire coaching staff was replaced. Both players have used setbacks from last season to fuel them. When Ballard visited campus for the team’s spring scrimmage in April, she noticed Hallman and Peterson had dozens of sticky notes posted on their bathroom mirror. One side belonged to Peterson and the other to Hallman, with affirmations, personal goals and motivational phrases written on them to be the best versions of themselves this season and lead the team. It served as a way they could track the progress of each other.
They have made good on their ambitions. Hallman leads the Big Ten and is tied for second nationally with five interceptions. Peterson leads the team in tackles for loss (eight) and sacks (4 1/2). First-year Wisconsin defensive coordinator Mike Tressel said he saw Hallman’s confidence grow the more success he had during spring practices and preseason camp. Hallman intercepted six passes during a two-practice stretch this spring. Tressel said Peterson is showing he can be a havoc-wreaker as he adapts to the new defensive scheme.
Hallman and Peterson first roomed together in the Ogg Residence Hall near the Kohl Center. They currently live in an off-campus apartment on the west side of town near Pleasant View Golf Course with teammate Curt Neal. When they aren’t discussing football, they lean on each other through their shared faith, which has played an important role in their lives.
Peterson grew up regularly attending church and went to high school in Akron, Ohio, at Archbishop Hoban, a Catholic college-preparatory school. Hallman went with his family to church. But Ballard cited a traumatic incident during his ninth-grade year as the basis for his intense spirituality.
Ballard said Hallman suffered a severe head injury while playing with a traveling flag football team when he collided with an opponent and lost consciousness for a few minutes. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital and placed in the intensive care unit. When Ballard made the three-hour drive from home and arrived at the hospital, doctors told her that Hallman had fluid on his brain and might never be able to play football again.
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Hallman saw specialists and underwent several X-rays for the next six months. Each time, he was told there had been no change in his diagnosis. Until one day, the specialist who had reviewed all the X-rays looked up at Ballard in disbelief to share that the signs of injury had disappeared “like it never happened,” she recalled. Hallman continued to visit the doctor and received the same positive prognosis until he was cleared. Ballard held Hallman out of football for the remainder of the school year. But Hallman, whose stepdad is former NFL running back Frank Gore, used the skills he learned growing up to become a star as a junior on the varsity team by recording eight interceptions and earning college scholarship offers.
Hallman and Peterson have made a point to frequently attend church together, which they say has drawn them closer to each other. They visit Mount Zion Baptist Church, where the team’s pastor, Marcus Allen, leads services. Most Sundays during this football season, they have driven together to Blackhawk Church in Middleton, near their apartment. They leave around 8:45 a.m. for an hour-long service and return home in time to change and prepare to be at the football facility by Sunday afternoon.
The two regularly participate in Thursday night Bible study sessions with several teammates as part of Athletes in Action on the fourth floor of the Student-Athlete Performance Center. Hallman and Peterson, along with teammates Will Pauling and Quincy Burroughs, kneel together in the end zone before every game to pray for their safety during the game.
The natural rapport and friendship that Hallman and Peterson possess led them to the idea of starting a podcast. It is something they have discussed for months but have yet to launch due to their busy schedules — “The wait is freakin’ driving me crazy,” Hallman said. They hope that, with help from members of Wisconsin’s production staff, they can soon provide fans with an inside look at being a Division I athlete, as well as host guests to talk about deeper topics. Hence, the working title of the show: The Dive.
“Oh, it’s going to happen,” Peterson said. “But we have no time to do anything but football right now. As soon as the season is over, we’re going to get that going.”
Of course, Hallman and Peterson still are college students who like to enjoy the lighter side of things. Get them together in a room, and a crowd quickly follows. Asking members of Wisconsin’s team to name the funniest player on the roster generally results in two names in response: DP and Rico. Badgers wide receiver Chimere Dike described them as “hilarious” and said getting away from football to eat a meal with them and hear their jokes is one of the things he looks forward to during the season.
“Please believe the hype,” said Neal, who began living with Hallman and Peterson this year after his previous roommate, A’Khoury Lyde, transferred out of the program. “They are everything and more you could expect. They’re great teammates, leaders and just people to be around. They’re always talking you up to get you hyped for practice, and they’re the funniest people off the field, as well. They just click, man. We’re all brothers, but they just have a special connection, and they just feed off each other.”
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The two offered a glimpse of their playful banter during a practice last month in which Hallman was mic’d up for the cameras as part of a Wisconsin football video. During a break, Hallman turned to Peterson while they stood next to each other on the sideline, and they engaged in rapid-fire and lighthearted insults.
Hallman: Why is your bottom lip hangin’ like that?
Peterson: Ha! You got jokes. Why’s your cut like that?
Hallman: Aye, why’s your beard like that?
Peterson: Why’s your tooth like that?
Hallman: Aye, why’s your teeth like that?
Peterson: Why’s your extra tooth like that?
Hallman: Bro, OK, OK, OK. That was funny.
Hallman then turned to the camera and said Peterson was his best friend.
“Ain’t that right?” Hallman asked. To which Peterson looked at him, smiled and said, “No.”
☑️ Pick six
☑️ Picked in the poll@ricardohallman6 is the fan choice for this week’s (WI)red, and he did not disappoint… pic.twitter.com/HxChLsZa0S
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) October 12, 2023
“We’ve got a lot of inside jokes,” Peterson said. “People laugh at us, but a lot of the time, they don’t even know what we’re laughing at, which makes it cool. We’ve got a lot of stories, certain things happen that he re-enacts that I laugh at, and somebody sees me laugh, and I guess my laugh is contagious. And then we both laugh. We’ve got the same sense of humor. We find the same things funny, so it’s just easier for us to bounce jokes off each other.”
Peterson is part of a large extended family with four siblings. Hallman has four brothers and one sister. But they consider each other to be brothers. Peterson has traveled with Hallman to his home in Florida twice in the past year: during spring break before practices began and again during the Fourth of July holiday. Peterson has grown so close with Hallman and Ballard that he has taken to calling Ballard “mom” as well.
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Though Hallman has yet to visit Peterson’s hometown, he has spent plenty of time with Peterson’s family on campus. They joke that Hallman has to return the favor by visiting Ohio, even if the weather often isn’t as pleasant as it is in Miami. They are still firming up where the next trip will take them when the season ends. But one thing they are sure of is that there will be many more opportunities to be together on the horizon.
“That guy’s my best friend I feel like no matter what,” Hallman said. “I told this guy he’s going to be the best man in my wedding, and I want to be the best man at his. Wherever we are, we’re always going to be close.”
(Top photo courtesy of Wisconsin Athletics)
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