Wisconsin officials close to promoting Jim Leonhard to full-time head football coach, sources say
MADISON – Jim Leonhard could be named Wisconsin’s full-time head coach as early as Sunday or Monday, according to sources with knowledge of the coaching search.
“They want to get moving as soon as they can,” a source told the Journal Sentinel.
UW (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten), which is 4-2 since Leonhard was named interim head coach Oct. 2, is scheduled to close the regular season against Minnesota (7-4, 4-4) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
UW officials posted the job opening last Saturday night, several hours after the Badgers became bowl-eligible with a 15-14 victory over host Nebraska.
According to the posting: “The deadline for assuring full consideration is November 26, 2022, however, this position will remain open and applications may be considered until this position is filled.”
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Two sources told the Journal Sentinel that night Leonhard would be the replacement for Paul Chryst, who was fired after UW’s 34-10 loss to Illinois.
According to those sources, UW officials evaluated Baylor coach Dave Aranda and Kansas coach Lance Leipold during the search.
Aranda was UW’s defensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014 under Gary Andersen and in 2015 under Chryst before taking over as LSU’s defensive coordinator. His record in three seasons at Baylor is 20-13. Last season the Bears finished 12-2 and in the top six of both major polls.
Leipold, a native of Jefferson, made his mark by compiling a 109-6 mark and winning six NCAA Division III titles in eight seasons at UW-Whitewater.
He rebuilt Buffalo’s foundering program and is in his second season at Kansas. The Jayhawks are 3-4 in the Big 12 and 6-4 overall. They are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2008.
Leonhard, 40, joined Chryst’s staff as secondary coach in 2016. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2017 and served in that role through last season and the first five games of this season.
A former All-American safety at UW, Leonhard has been asked several times about the prospect of taking over the program after this season. He noted during his Monday news conference he expected to have more formal talks with UW officials.
"I don't really want to get into much of that right now," he said. "This week to me is about this season, this group of players...I don't want that attention for our guys. ...
"Going to have some conversations this week and hopefully it leads in the direction I want it to go."
The news won't surprise any of the UW players, who have lobbied for Leonhard whenever asked.
"They can post whatever they want," quarterback Graham Mertz said. "But I think it’s pretty clear."
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin close to naming Jim Leonhard full-time coach
