It is still a strange headline to write: legendary Wisconsin All-American safety and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard took a job yesterday with former Wisconsin Head Coach Bret Bielema at Illinois.
He will serve as a senior analyst, working with the team to prepare for each game during the week.
Leonhard’s path had been meteoric since joining the coaching ranks. He moved from DBs coach under Paul Chryst in 2016, to defensive coordinator in 2017 — and quickly to one of the sport’s best coordinators at that. He obviously then became Wisconsin’s interim head coach after Chryst’s firing before the program elected to hire Luke Fickell.
Bielema spoke on the Leonhard hire at Big Ten Media Days earlier today. Here is his full podium answer, and separate time with select media:
Bielema's full podium answer on hiring former #Badgers coach Jim Leonhard. https://t.co/Csf23HUo4C pic.twitter.com/Ig4dmyRa4H
— Colten Bartholomew (@CBartWSJ) July 26, 2023
Bret Bielema on bringing Jim Leonhard to Illinois as an analyst. Both former #Badgers. pic.twitter.com/gb8YXVktCN
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) July 26, 2023