Where Former Wisconsin Football Coaches Landed This Offseason
Where did former Wisconsin football assistants and staff members of Paul Chryst's end up this offseason after the Badgers coaching change?
It's no secret that the entire Wisconsin football program received a complete and utter facelift after Athletic Director Chris McIntosh fired former head coach Paul Chryst and set the wheels in motion for one of the wildest offseasons in recent memory.
And while the entire Badgers fanbase is over the moon about the Luke Fickell hiring and the direction of the program, despite the decision to pass over folk hero Jim Leonhard for the job, plenty of other notable staff members lost their respective positions--with the new regime opting to clean house.
That said, many of Paul Chryst's coaching staff who served the Wisconsin football program found new jobs this offseason, either in the NFL or in college.
Here's a quick look at where some former Wisconsin Badgers coaches found homes…
Interim Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator, Jim Leonhard
Jim Leonhard was and will always be a Wisconsin football legend. And in many ways, anything other than a Luke Fickell-level signing would have caused riots in Madison. But I digress...
Things have been pretty quiet this offseason on the Leonhard front, job-wise. He left Wisconsin with a nice little payout and reportedly needed to get surgery, so a year off to recover and plan his next move makes a ton of sense.Â
He reportedly met with the Philidelphia Eagles to discuss their defensive coordinator job, but the two sides mutually decided to end discussions. When he does choose to return to the coaching ranks, NFL and college teams will be lining up to hand him a fat paycheck.Â
Offensive Coordinator/QBs Coach, Bobby EngramÂ
Bobby Engram, who joined Chryst's coaching staff as a first-time offensive coordinator, came to UW as a highly respected position coach with the Baltimore Ravens.Â
And even though he didn't get much of a chance to showcase himself in that new role, he landed on his feet this offseason, joining the Washington Commanders as their wide receivers coach.Â
Outside Linebackers Coach, Bobby April
One of the most highly regarded Wisconsin football assistants, Bobby April, earned a significant promotion this offseason.Â
April is joining newly hired head coach Troy Taylor at Stanford, where he'll be the Cardinals' defensive coordinator--his first time holding that title at any level.Â
It's also worth noting is that he took a few other Wisconsin assistants with him...
Inside Linebackers Coach, Mark D'Onofrio
One of the assistants joining Bobby April on Stanford's coaching staff is Mark D'Onofrio, who coached inside linebackers at Wisconsin and will assume the same role there.Â
Defensive Line Coach, Ross Kolodziej
The other assistant joining Bobby April's defensive staff at Standford is Ross Kolodziej, who spent eight seasons with the Wisconsin football team, six of which came as the leader of the strength and conditioning program and two as the defensive line coach.Â
Kolodzeij will continue coaching defensive linemen at Stanford.Â
Cornerbacks Coach, Hank Poteat
Hank Poteat is another position coach who did some nice things during his time with the Wisconsin football program. And there was also a tiny part of me praying that having him on staff would help us land his son, Tre Poteat, a nationally regarded cornerback recruit.Â
Poteat accepted the same position at Iowa State this offseason.Â
Offensive Line Coach, Bob Bostad
Wisconsin offensive line coach Bob Bostad is a man with a strong track record of success, coaching both O-line and inside linebackers during his time with the Badgers. So, landing another gig didn't take very long.Â
Bostad found a landing spot rather quickly and will remain in the Big Ten, coaching offensive linemen for the Indiana Hoosiers.Â
Wide Receivers Coach, Alvis Whitted
Low key, Alvis Whitted did a really nice job identifying and developing wide receivers for the Wisconsin football program. In fact, he deserves credit for the cupboards being well-stocked for the new coaching staff.Â
Whitted has a quality resume and landed gig coaching wide receivers for Utah in the Pac-12 this season.Â
Running Backs (?) Coach, Al Johnson
I added the question mark to his title because, to this day, I still can't wrap my head around why anyone thought having Al Johnson, an offensive line coach, take over the running back room was a good idea.Â
Not trying to pile on the guy because that was Paul Chryst's choice, but a room featuring Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi deserved better, IMO.Â
Either way, Johnson, a former O-lineman for Wisconsin football and in the NFL, was hired by Montana State as its new offensive line coach.Â
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