Former Bill Jim Leonhard leaving Wisconsin Coaching Squad

[BisonMan]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35200158/jim-leonhard-leave-wisconsin-staff-bowl-game

 

Took over as interim HC this year after the team fired the incumbent after leading the team to a poor record. Leonhard turned the team around to make a Bowl game. Players lobbied for him to get the gig permanently but the school went another direction. They wanted him to return in his previous roll as DC and he told them to pound sand. The starting QB wanted him as well. We Leonhard didn't get the HC job, the QB entered the transfer portal.

 

Sound like Leonhard is potentially a sought after commodity for a HC job in Division I football. 

 

Good for him. Smart player and looks like a good coach. 

[BuffaloBill]

Stupid move by the university 

[Mr. WEO]

Fickell is a much bigger get than a coordinator already on the team who coached a handful of games.   He has a legit coaching pedigree and he was COTY in 2021 in Cincy.  

 

Leonard had no chance.  

 

And where does their former QB expect to be transported to in the portal with his anemic 2000 yards, 19/10 TD/int stuff?

Edited December 7, 2022 by Mr. WEO

[PromoTheRobot]

Please have him take over at UB.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

12 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

Fickell is a much bigger get than a coordinator already on the team who coached a handful of games.   He has a legit coaching pedigree and he was COTY in 2021 in Cincy.  

 

Leonard had no chance.  

 

And where does their former QB expect to be transported in the portal with his anemic 2000 pads, 19/10 TD/int stuff?

Agreed. Leonard was solid. But Fickell is a huge upgrade. Fickell should be the coach at Ohio State over Day, TBH.

[Freddie's Dead]

Jim Leonhard was one of the smartest football players ever to play in Buffalo.  UW ***** up by not making him the HC.  He proved that he deserved the job by getting them to a bowl game.  I hope the bad karma comes back to bite them in the ass.

[MJS]

I really liked him here as a player. I could see him rising through the ranks and becoming a hot coaching candidate in the NFL one day.

[BADOLBILZ]

 

He was the only guy who could make Rex Ryan's complicated defense work.

 

Would be most interesting to see what he could do as a DC in the NFL.

[NORWOODS FOOT]

2 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

Fickell should be the coach at Ohio State over Day, TBH.

 

As a long time Ohio State fan, I agree.

[DCofNC]

Is he still in playing shape? Maybe he can help at FS for the stretch run.

Edited December 8, 2022 by DCofNC

[uticaclub]

1 hour ago, NORWOODS FOOT said:

 

As a long time Ohio State fan, I agree.

I dont have a lot of skin in the college game. I though Day has been doing a good job, losing to Michigan 2 times in a row is tough but it took Harbaugh like 8 years to beat Ohio State. You guys probably know more than I do.

[NORWOODS FOOT]

17 minutes ago, uticaclub said:

I dont have a lot of skin in the college game. I though Day has been doing a good job, losing to Michigan 2 times in a row is tough but it took Harbaugh like 8 years to beat Ohio State. You guys probably know more than I do.

 

The team just doesn't play with the edge that they had with Tressel and Meyer. Team feels like it did when John Cooper was the coach: tons of talent but wilted under pressure.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Id bring him here in a heartbeat 

 

 

[JimBob2232]

He will land on his feet somewhere.  Maybe even HC at Purdue.  Bright future ahead for him

[teef]

Was he the ninja?

[Mr. WEO]

12 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Jim Leonhard was one of the smartest football players ever to play in Buffalo.  UW ***** up by not making him the HC.  He proved that he deserved the job by getting them to a bowl game.  I hope the bad karma comes back to bite them in the ass.

 

Why would they take him over a guy with Fickell's history/pedigree?

[JoPoy88]

14 hours ago, BisonMan said:

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35200158/jim-leonhard-leave-wisconsin-staff-bowl-game

 

Took over as interim HC this year after the team fired the incumbent after leading the team to a poor record. Leonhard turned the team around to make a Bowl game. Players lobbied for him to get the gig permanently but the school went another direction. They wanted him to return in his previous roll as DC and he told them to pound sand. The starting QB wanted him as well. We Leonhard didn't get the HC job, the QB entered the transfer portal.

 

Sound like Leonhard is potentially a sought after commodity for a HC job in Division I football. 

 

Good for him. Smart player and looks like a good coach. 

absolutely good for him - he deserved the HC job.

[ProcessTruster]

he'll probably be back , once he proves his recruiting and coaching chops at a lesser D1 program for a few years.  

 

 

 

[gusbuf]

As a Badger alum who literally watched every game Leonhard played in and more recently, coached in, I have to give my two cents on this.  First off, Jim Leonhard is a brilliant DC.  His defenses were always at the top of the Big Ten and more often than not, top 10 nationally.  This was with mainly 3-star recruits, with just a sprinkling of a few 4-star recruits thrown in.  Wisconsin didn't get the 4 and 5-star recruits.  Paul Chryst and his staff were not the best recruiters.  But they were good at getting hard nosed kids who would run through a brick wall for the opportunity to be a Badger, and there are a number of productive active NFL players now who recently played in Leonhard's D, especially at LB (Watt, Biegel, Van Ginkel, Sanborn, Cichy, Chenal, Connelly, et al).  But big picture, the program HAD to move away from an internal promotion.  They needed new blood and a new direction.  As much as I loved JL, it was time to move on from the Alvarez era (JL played for BA, Paul Chryst coached with BA on his staff).  AD Chris McIntosh, a former Barry Alvarez academic all-American OL, took over last year.  He made the right choice and went and hired, arguably, the best HC available.  Fickell will have the Badgers back atop the Big Ten West in two years, and will have them legit challenging OSU and UM for the Big Ten title.  There is always the fear he moves on to bigger and better things, but that is the price a program pays when their HC is successful, and there are bigger, better things out there (back to OSU).  If he is with the Badgers for 4 or 5 seasons and then OSU decides they had enough of Day and make a move for Fickell, so be it.  It means the Badgers under Fickell were really, really good.  

Jim Leonhard is a fantastic DC and deserves a shot as a HC at some university.  He will probably get it too.  Or, at the very least, he could move to eth NFL as a DC.  He turned down the Packers once already to stay at Wisconsin.  

I will say, though, that Wisconsin did Leonhard a bit dirty with their hiring decision.  All signs pointed to Leonhard being hired. However, losing to your two biggest rivals in the same season - Minnesota and Iowa - is not a good look.  Fickell seems like a great person and his coaching record speaks for itself.  Haven't been this excited about the Badger football program since Russell Wilson transferred to Wisconsin from NC State back in 2011.  
 

If Leslie Frazier gets a HC opportunity after this season, the Bills would be wise to at least interview Jim Leonhard.  Heck, he played for the Bills, so there is already that connection.

[SoCal Deek]

2 minutes ago, gusbuf said:

As a Badger alum who literally watched every game Leonhard played in and more recently, coached in, I have to give my two cents on this.  First off, Jim Leonhard is a brilliant DC.  His defenses were always at the top of the Big Ten and more often than not, top 10 nationally.  This was with mainly 3-star recruits, with just a sprinkling of a few 4-star recruits thrown in.  Wisconsin didn't get the 4 and 5-star recruits.  Paul Chryst and his staff were not the best recruiters.  But they were good at getting hard nosed kids who would run through a brick wall for the opportunity to be a Badger, and there are a number of productive active NFL players now who recently played in Leonhard's D, especially at LB (Watt, Biegel, Van Ginkel, Sanborn, Cichy, Chenal, Connelly, et al).  But big picture, the program HAD to move away from an internal promotion.  They needed new blood and a new direction.  As much as I loved JL, it was time to move on from the Alvarez era (JL played for BA, Paul Chryst coached with BA on his staff).  AD Chris McIntosh, a former Barry Alvarez academic all-American OL, took over last year.  He made the right choice and went and hired, arguably, the best HC available.  Fickell will have the Badgers back atop the Big Ten West in two years, and will have them legit challenging OSU and UM for the Big Ten title.  There is always the fear he moves on to bigger and better things, but that is the price a program pays when their HC is successful, and there are bigger, better things out there (back to OSU).  If he is with the Badgers for 4 or 5 seasons and then OSU decides they had enough of Day and make a move for Fickell, so be it.  It means the Badgers under Fickell were really, really good.  

Jim Leonhard is a fantastic DC and deserves a shot as a HC at some university.  He will probably get it too.  Or, at the very least, he could move to eth NFL as a DC.  He turned down the Packers once already to stay at Wisconsin.  

I will say, though, that Wisconsin did Leonhard a bit dirty with their hiring decision.  All signs pointed to Leonhard being hired. However, losing to your two biggest rivals in the same season - Minnesota and Iowa - is not a good look.  Fickell seems like a great person and his coaching record speaks for itself.  Haven't been this excited about the Badger football program since Russell Wilson transferred to Wisconsin from NC State back in 2011.  
 

If Leslie Frazier gets a HC opportunity after this season, the Bills would be wise to at least interview Jim Leonhard.  Heck, he played for the Bills, so there is already that connection.

I only have two things to say to that. 

 

ILL….INI! 😉

[Spiderweb]

12 hours ago, NORWOODS FOOT said:

 

As a long time Ohio State fan, I agree.

Ohio State is the poster child (along with Alabama) for everything wrong with College Football. 

[machine gun kelly]

16 hours ago, BisonMan said:

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35200158/jim-leonhard-leave-wisconsin-staff-bowl-game

 

Took over as interim HC this year after the team fired the incumbent after leading the team to a poor record. Leonhard turned the team around to make a Bowl game. Players lobbied for him to get the gig permanently but the school went another direction. They wanted him to return in his previous roll as DC and he told them to pound sand. The starting QB wanted him as well. We Leonhard didn't get the HC job, the QB entered the transfer portal.

 

Sound like Leonhard is potentially a sought after commodity for a HC job in Division I football. 

 

Good for him. Smart player and looks like a good coach. 

Hey, let’s bring him in for a workout! 😜

 

Oh, this isn’t that thread.  Dang.  
 

Guys, I’m kidding.  I know the OP wasn’t making this kind of reference.  Just poking a little fun at some of the people that think every old has been has another year in them.  Don’t take it seriously.

[Freddie's Dead]

1 hour ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

Why would they take him over a guy with Fickell's history/pedigree?

 

I'm big on loyalty, and Jim Leonhard is UW.

[gusbuf]

41 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

I'm big on loyalty, and Jim Leonhard is UW.

Loyalty is great, but not to a fault.  And JL leaving has led to Graham Mertz leaving, which is a major addition by subtraction.  Most overhyped "5-star" QB recruit ever.  Had one good game his whole career, and it was his first game.  Good riddance.

[Flip Johnson]

If you ever read Collision Low Crossers by Nicholas Dawidoff (Rex Ryan era Jets, 2011 season), you will get a great sense of Leonhard's knowledge as a player. It is obvious in that book that he would be a great coach.

 

Leonhard had season-ending injuries in 2010 and 2011 and in both years that team fell apart without him. He was the most essential player for understanding and implementing Rex & Pettine's defense - during the time it was actually effective.

[Mr. WEO]

1 hour ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

I'm big on loyalty, and Jim Leonhard is UW.

 

this isn't how you run a major NCAA football program.  He was offered the DC position.  He would have been wise to take it.  

[Freddie's Dead]

1 hour ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

this isn't how you run a major NCAA football program.  He was offered the DC position.  He would have been wise to take it. 

 

I disagree.  Leonhard proved he was a good HC.  So he only needs to be a good recruiter to complete the job.  Who's a better recruiter than a UW alum who played in the NFL?  UW missed an opportunity to promote one of its own.  That exactly how NCAA programs run.

[Mr. WEO]

2 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

I disagree.  Leonhard proved he was a good HC.  So he only needs to be a good recruiter to complete the job.  Who's a better recruiter than a UW alum who played in the NFL?  UW missed an opportunity to promote one of its own.  That exactly how NCAA programs run.

 

A guy who brought a team to the college playoffs (after cornpone Tuberville ran it in to the ground) and 53 games in his 5 years there, that's who.

 

 

 

And no, that's not how they typically run.  As of 2019, alumni were coaching in 13.8% of the NCAAF Div 1 jobs.    Leonhard isn't exactly Jim Harbaugh.  Kirby Smart coached (to various degrees) at Florida State, LSU, Miami Dolphins, Bama before he went back to Goergia.  How many played in the NFL? Why would a top recruit care either way?   Leonhard has been at.....Wisconsin.

 

Leonhard won 4 of 7 games and finished 6th in the crappy half of the Big 10. That's nice.  But no program trying to rebuild is hiring a guy like that----when a guy like Fickell is available.  That makes zero sense at all.

 

[RobbRiddicksTDLeap]

Get it done, OBD!!

[Ethan in Cleveland]

18 hours ago, NORWOODS FOOT said:

 

The team just doesn't play with the edge that they had with Tressel and Meyer. Team feels like it did when John Cooper was the coach: tons of talent but wilted under pressure.

Buckeyes are soft under Day even though they keep putting high level defenders into the NFL.  No way they would come back to win with Day at coach against Miami or beat Alabama with 4th string QB like they did with Tressel and Meyer.  Day can prove everyone wrong with an upset of Georgia though. My guess is OSU gets hammered 52-10 in a rout. But OSU has the firepower to put 50 on Georgia if Stroud and Harrison are on.  Missing Smith-Njaba hurts them though.

2 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

A guy who brought a team to the college playoffs (after cornpone Tuberville ran it in to the ground) and 53 games in his 5 years there, that's who.

 

 

 

And no, that's not how they typically run.  As of 2019, alumni were coaching in 13.8% of the NCAAF Div 1 jobs.    Leonhard isn't exactly Jim Harbaugh.  Kirby Smart coached (to various degrees) at Florida State, LSU, Miami Dolphins, Bama before he went back to Goergia.  How many played in the NFL? Why would a top recruit care either way?   Leonhard has been at.....Wisconsin.

 

Leonhard won 4 of 7 games and finished 6th in the crappy half of the Big 10. That's nice.  But no program trying to rebuild is hiring a guy like that----when a guy like Fickell is available.  That makes zero sense at all.

 

Agreed. Honestly Wisconsin is a step below where Fickell should have landed. With his track record at Cinci he should be at Auburn instead of the cheater Hugh Freeze.

[NORWOODS FOOT]

8 hours ago, Spiderweb said:

Ohio State is the poster child (along with Alabama) for everything wrong with College Football. 

 

Actually they're a pretty good example with what's wrong with every human being, I mean, like deep down in each of our eternal souls.

 

I mean, college football has just become such a spiderweb of iniquity.

 

Prayers up.

 

38 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Buckeyes are soft under Day even though they keep putting high level defenders into the NFL.  No way they would come back to win with Day at coach against Miami or beat Alabama with 4th string QB like they did with Tressel and Meyer.  Day can prove everyone wrong with an upset of Georgia though. My guess is OSU gets hammered 52-10 in a rout. But OSU has the firepower to put 50 on Georgia if Stroud and Harrison are on.  Missing Smith-Njaba hurts them though.

 

This. I just don't see them having the toughness and guts to get teeth knocked out by Georgia and keep fighting. Hope I'm wrong. And yes, I too sense that they COULD go wild on Georgia. But I wouldn't bet on it.

Edited December 8, 2022 by NORWOODS FOOT

[gusbuf]

6 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

I disagree.  Leonhard proved he was a good HC.  So he only needs to be a good recruiter to complete the job.  Who's a better recruiter than a UW alum who played in the NFL?  UW missed an opportunity to promote one of its own.  That exactly how NCAA programs run.

Leonhard di not prove he was a good HC. Granted, he didn't really get a real opportunity to do that in just a handful of games. But AD Chris McIntosh thankfully was looking at the big picture and where he and every Badger alum want this program to go. That meant starting over with the McIntosh/Fickell Era, rather than continuing with the Barry Alvarez tree. Barry is a living legend at UW, but it was time for a new direction. Leonhard was offered the DC job by Fickell, but I don't blame him for rejecting the offer. He would have had to swallow some major pride there. Leonhard will land on his feet with a great opportunity. He loves the college game, but if he takes a DC position in the NFL, and has a lot of success early, he will get both college and NFL coaching offers. 

 

Fickell may only be at UW until he Lans a true blue-blood position like OSU or similar. So be it. As long as he is at UW, I know the Badgers are in great hands. 

[Bill from NYC]

On 12/7/2022 at 8:16 PM, BADOLBILZ said:

 

He was the only guy who could make Rex Ryan's complicated defense work.

 

Would be most interesting to see what he could do as a DC in the NFL.

Am I wrong or was Rex's defense one of the worst, dumbest defenses in NFL history?

[dave mcbride]

On 12/8/2022 at 9:57 AM, Flip Johnson said:

If you ever read Collision Low Crossers by Nicholas Dawidoff (Rex Ryan era Jets, 2011 season), you will get a great sense of Leonhard's knowledge as a player. It is obvious in that book that he would be a great coach.

 

Leonhard had season-ending injuries in 2010 and 2011 and in both years that team fell apart without him. He was the most essential player for understanding and implementing Rex & Pettine's defense - during the time it was actually effective.

He is the reason the Pettine defense in 2013 was able to effectively run the rex scheme. Rex comes in two seasons later with great defensive talent, but without Leonhard. He had no one to run the D and it showed; the defense was bad.

1 hour ago, Bill from NYC said:

Am I wrong or was Rex's defense one of the worst, dumbest defenses in NFL history?

No, it works if it has Jim Leonhard. He followed rex and pettine everywhere because he was crucial for getting his teammates into the right fits. For players of average football intelligence, though, it’s a deeply flawed scheme because so many mental mistakes happen within it. A great D shouldn’t be reliant on a unicorn like Leonhard.

[BADOLBILZ]

2 hours ago, Bill from NYC said:

Am I wrong or was Rex's defense one of the worst, dumbest defenses in NFL history?

 

 

It was almost too complicated to execute.........except when Leonhard was on the field.   And it took a big hit in effectiveness when Goodell changed the rules of the game to greatly reduce the amount of punishment a defense could exact on QB's and WR's in 2010.   The rules changes were almost a direct result of what the Jets and Steelers were doing, in particular, at the time.

[Luka]

How does he feel about being the defensive co-ordinator in Buffalo after Fraizer finds a new gig in the offseason?

[DrDawkinstein]

Just now, Luka said:

How does he feel about being the defensive co-ordinator in Buffalo after Fraizer finds a new gig in the offseason?

 

Came in to post exactly this. I like the idea.

[thenorthremembers]

On 12/8/2022 at 10:57 AM, Flip Johnson said:

If you ever read Collision Low Crossers by Nicholas Dawidoff (Rex Ryan era Jets, 2011 season), you will get a great sense of Leonhard's knowledge as a player. It is obvious in that book that he would be a great coach.

 

Leonhard had season-ending injuries in 2010 and 2011 and in both years that team fell apart without him. He was the most essential player for understanding and implementing Rex & Pettine's defense - during the time it was actually effective.

What a fantastic read that book that was.  Wish there were more football books that went to that level of detail.

[Bill from NYC]

20 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

It was almost too complicated to execute.........except when Leonhard was on the field.   And it took a big hit in effectiveness when Goodell changed the rules of the game to greatly reduce the amount of punishment a defense could exact on QB's and WR's in 2010.   The rules changes were almost a direct result of what the Jets and Steelers were doing, in particular, at the time.

OK.....I just have ugly memories of Schobel being our only pass rusher and lining up a mile wide. This, and Dareus standing there waving his arms like a trained seal instead of penetrating. 

 

It was rather sickening, no? 

Edited December 13, 2022 by Bill from NYC

[BillsVet]

3 hours ago, Bill from NYC said:

OK.....I just have ugly memories of Schobel being our only pass rusher and lining up a mile wide. This, and Dareus standing their waving his arms like a trained seal instead of penetrating. 

 

It was rather sickening, no? 

 

Remember when they were forced to play DT Spencer Johnson at OLB in 2010? Or Wrecks dropping Mario Williams into coverage?    

 

The current staff isn't perfect, but the embarrassment that this franchise was in those late RW years is hard to forget.