Wisconsin Football job is Jim Leonhard’s to lose

Wisconsin football has fired head coach Paul Chryst and named Jim Leonhard the interim head coach which is a very interesting move. 

A second team the Big Ten West has now fired its head coach as Wisconsin football has officially moved on from Paul Chryst according to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.

People have been talking about this move for over a year. There were rumors about the job security of Chryst last season when the Badgers got off to a rough start. But after falling to 2-3 and losing a second time at Camp Randall to an unranked team, Chryst wore out his welcome.

The loss to Illinois was particularly embarrassing because the Fighting Illini are coached by Bret Bielema, the former Wisconsin head coach. Chryst did coach the Badgers to an Orange Bowl win and a 13-1 record in 2017 but hasn’t had a season with fewer than three losses since.

Wisconsin football has finished three of the last four seasons unranked and things have continued to trend in the wrong direction this season with a 2-3 start (0-2 in Big Ten).

The fact that Nebraska and other programs looking to hire a head coach could be interested in Jim Leonhard probably expedited the move, especially after hitting rock bottom on Saturday in a 34-10 loss to Illinois one week after losing 52-21 to Ohio State.

Washington State also upset Wisconsin at home 17-14.

Wisconsin football head coaching job if Jim Leonhard’s to lose

Unlike some of these other head-coaching jobs, Wisconsin football is definitely going to consider Jim Leonhard. It was talked about last year and with Nebraska potentially sniffing around, the Badgers have to know if Leonhard doesn’t get his opportunity, he’ll go somewhere else.

Leonhard is a solid recruiter and knows how to develop talent. He’s also been the key architect of the Badgers’ normally stellar defense. Wisconsin will need to figure out the offense but the defense hasn’t been spectacular either.

However, if Leonhard can get things turned around, it’s clear that he’s likely going to be the next head coach. If not, the Badgers can conduct a national search at the end of the season.

It’s a win-win for Wisconsin football and it was clearly time to give someone else a chance because Wisconsin hasn’t looked like Wisconsin lately.

At the same time, the Badgers have to hope they aren’t about to go the same way as Nebraska, which fired not one, but two coaches after nine-win seasons and haven’t recovered.