Wisconsin football promoting defensive assistant Jack Cooper to safeties coach
The Wisconsin Badgers have promoted Jack Cooper to safeties coach, filling the role vacated by Alex Grinch who left for UCF this offseason.
Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin football program are filling the safeties coach vacancy with an internal promotion.
According to a report from 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, the Badgers are set to elevate Jack Cooper, who served as assistant defensive backs coach last season, to safeties coach. A Badgernotes source confirmed that the move has been made official.
"We're excited to move Coach Cooper into this new role," Fickell said. "He's been with our program for two years and has built relationships in the safeties room, earning the belief and trust of the guys on this team.
“He's done a great job for us and has a true understanding of what we're building here. I know he'll continue to be a big asset for us moving forward."
He takes over the role previously held by Alex Grinch, who left after one season at Wisconsin to become the defensive coordinator at UCF.
Cooper transitioned to an on-field role last year after the NCAA lifted its cap on on-field coaches, allowing him to work alongside Alex Grinch, cornerbacks coach Paul Haynes, and players across the secondary.
"The rules and allowing me to coach has been good, but I've basically been a buffer between coach [Alex] Grinch, coach [Mike] Tressel, and coach [Paul] Haynes," Cooper said. "I kind of wear a lot of different hats in that way.
"It's been positive to be able to get in the room with those guys, teach those guys, and then work with sub players."
His promotion reflects coach Fickell's confidence in his ability to prepare the players and his familiarity with Mike Tressel’s defensive system. It is the latest example of the program’s commitment to maintaining continuity on defense while rewarding Cooper’s contributions since his arrival.
Joining Wisconsin in the spring of 2023 as a senior defensive analyst, Cooper brought years of unique experience to the Badgers’ staff. Before arriving in Madison, he spent three years as the defensive coordinator at Rhode Island, where he guided the Rams’ defense in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
Prior to his time at Rhode Island, Cooper worked as a defensive quality control coach at Nebraska under Scott Frost for two seasons. His coaching resume also includes a stint as a defensive graduate assistant at UCF from 2016-17 and a role as a defensive assistant at Yale in 2015.
Cooper takes over a safeties room led by returning starter Preston Zachman but is facing significant turnover after losing Braedyn Moore, Kamo'i Latu, and Justin Taylor to the transfer portal this offseason. Along with the return of Raphael Dunn, Cooper will work with transfer additions Matt Jung and Matthew Traynor, as well as incoming 2025 signees Grant Dean, Luke Emmerich, and Remington Moss—all of whom will be vying for snaps this fall.