Tag: Alex Grinch

Former Wisconsin assistant accepts new position under former Badgers safeties coach

Former Wisconsin linebackers coach accepts new position under former Badger assistant

This story was updated to add new information.

Former Wisconsin and Stanford inside linebackers coach Mark D’Onofrio has been hired to the same position at UCF, the program announced Friday.

D’Onofrio goes from working under one former Wisconsin assistant to another. At Stanford, he worked under defensive coordinator Bobby April III (Wisconsin OLBs coach from 2018-22). He joins a UCF defensive staff led by Alex Grinch (Wisconsin safeties coach in 2024).

Related: A look at Wisconsin football’s full coaching staff for the 2025 season

D’Onofrio spent one season with the Badgers (2022). He was one of Paul Chryst’s offseason hires entering that season, replacing longtime inside linebackers coach Bob Bostad after he moved to the offensive line. The 2022 season did not go as planned for the Badgers or anyone on the coaching staff. Chryst was fired in early October after a 2-3 start.

The veteran defensive coach followed April to Stanford after the 2022 season concluded. The program elected to not renew his contract following its 3-9 2024 campaign, instead hiring Andy Thompson to the position.

D’Onofrio moves to UCF under defensive coordinator Grinch and first-year coach Scott Frost. He and Grinch did not overlap during their time with the Badgers. Grinch spent the 2024 season with the program after several years as defensive coordinator under Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma (2019-21) and USC (2022-23).

UCF will be D’Onofrio’s eighth coaching stop. He was the linebackers coach at Rutgers from 2001-03, tight ends (2004) and inside linebackers coach (2005) at Virginia, defensive coordinator at Temple (2006-2010), defensive coordinator at Miami (2011-15) and defensive coordinator at Houston (2017-18). Those stops preceded his stints at Wisconsin (2022) and Stanford (2023-24).

Mike Tressel has held Wisconsin’s inside linebackers coach title along with his primary role as defensive coordinator for each of the past two seasons. He enters 2025 in the same role.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion

Former Oklahoma defensive coordinator hired by Big 12 school

Oklahoma’s former defensive coordinator is taking over the defense at UCF

Former Oklahoma Sooners defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was hired to run the defense for the Central Florida Knights. Grinch will call the defense for coach Scott Frost, who returns to UCF after seven seasons away.

Of course, Grinch spent three seasons at OU under former coach Lincoln Riley from 2019 to 2021. He was Riley’s attempt to fix the defense in the wake of his firing of Mike Stoops in 2018. After Ruffin McNeill took over in the interim, Grinch was hired as the permanent DC heading into Riley’s third season at the helm.

There was much anticipation when Grinch arrived in Norman: His “Speed D” was supposed to lift the Sooners to greater success alongside record-breaking offenses. In the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Oklahoma had Heisman Trophy winners at quarterback but defenses that let them down.

In the end, Grinch could not move the needle enough on the defensive side of the ball, and OU made just one more trip to the College Football Playoff in the Riley era. When the coach bolted for USC after the 2021 regular season finale, Grinch was one of the first assistants to follow him.

It ended up being a blessing for the Sooners. They had the best defense fans had seen in years in 2024. Grinch, on the other hand, struggled at Southern Cal. He was fired by Riley midway through the 2023 season.

Now, he’ll return to a different-looking Big 12 in 2025, a conference that features a few familiar opponents from his three seasons at Oklahoma.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.

Former USC defensive coordinator gets new job

Wisconsin’s defense wasn’t great with Alex Grinch on staff in 2024. Now UCF and Scott Frost are taking a chance on Grinch in Orlando. This will be a wild ride.

A little over a year after getting fired by USC football, Alex Grinch is a defensive coordinator once again.

On Tuesday morning, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Grinch will be the new defensive coordinator at UCF. He will serve under new head coach Scott Frost, who returns to Orlando after leading the Knights to an undefeated season in 2017 before departing for Nebraska.

Grinch was hired by Lincoln Riley as Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator prior to the 2019 season. When Riley left Norman for Los Angeles in November 2021, Grinch was one of the first assistant coaches to follow him.

However, Grinch’s USC tenure was a disaster. His 2023 defensive was the worst statistical unit in school history, with the Trojans allowing 28 or more points in all but two games. Following a 52-42 loss to Washington last season, in which the Huskies racked up 572 yards of total offense, Grinch was fired by USC.

This past season, Grinch served as the safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator at Wisconsin. He returned to the Coliseum with the Badgers on September 28. Against Grinch’s unit, USC quarterback Miller Moss threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-21 Trojans victory.

Now, he is in charge of a defense once again.

Wisconsin safeties coach leaves for Big 12 defensive coordinator position

Wisconsin safeties coach leaves for Big 12 defensive coordinator position

Wisconsin safeties coach Alex Grinch was named the new defensive coordinator at UCF on Tuesday.

Grinch departs after one season with the Badgers. He was the defensive coordinator at USC (2022-2023) and Oklahoma (2019-2021) under coach Lincoln Riley.

The veteran assistant is a two-time semifinalist (2017, 2019) for the Broyles Award, which is awarded to the top assistant coach in college football. He was also a well-known defensive coordinator for all of the wrong reasons during his time with the Sooners and Trojans. His defenses ranked among the worst in the nation for an extended period.

  • 2023 (at USC, though was fired midway through the year): No. 119 in total defense with 432.8 yards allowed per game, No. 121 in scoring defense (34.4 points allowed per game)
  • 2022 (at USC): No. 106 in total defense (423.9 yards allowed), No. 93 in scoring defense (29.2 points)
  • 2021 (at Oklahoma): No. 76 in total defense (391.5 yards allowed), No. 59 in scoring defense (25.8 points)

He gets another shot at leading a defense, joining a UCF staff under new coach Scott Frost — yes, former Nebraska coach Scott Frost.

Wisconsin will search for a new safeties coach entering the 2025 season. It will be Luke Fickell’s third safeties coach in as many years: Colin Hitschler held the position in 2023 before moving to Alabama.

The Badgers already made one staff change this offseason: hiring offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes from Kansas. Given the program’s top-down turnover of the last four seasons, continuity will be a good thing moving forward.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

Former Oklahoma Sooner among the NFL leaders in sacks

The Denver Broncos uncovered a pass-rushing gem in the 2022 draft from Oklahoma.

Former Oklahoma Sooners linebacker [autotag]Nik Bonitto[/autotag] is in the midst of an excellent 2024 season for the Denver Broncos. The third-year pro has been on a tear lately, and people are beginning to take notice.

Bonitto is currently tied for second in the NFL with nine sacks. He’s just 2.5 sacks behind Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson for the lead league. He had a bit of a slow start to his professional career, but things have definitely clicked for him this year, as he’s getting after opposing passers like few others in the league.

Bonitto was selected by the Broncos in the second round (64th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft after four seasons in Norman.

He started for Oklahoma over his final two and a half years, registering 14.5 sacks over the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Bonitto made the game-sealing play of Oklahoma’s comeback win over the Baylor Bears in Waco in 2019. Trailing 28-3, the Sooners stormed back to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive with a 34-31 win. Bonitto’s interception of Baylor QB Charlie Brewer on the Bears’ final drive ensured that OU would walk away with a victory.

Under former outside linebackers coach Jamar Cain, Bonitto developed into a game-changing pass rusher that’s developed into one of the NFL’s best. He’s recorded 17 sacks over the last two seasons, breaking his mark from a year ago in just 11 games.

It’s a small world when USC faces Wisconsin

Alex Grinch isn’t the only person with connections to both teams in this Wisconsin versus USC game.

When the USC Trojans take on the Wisconsin Badgers this weekend, it will be a matchup of two teams with a number of connections.

USC has one player from the state of Wisconsin on its roster, defensive tackle Gavin Meyer. Wisconsin, meanwhile, has two players from the state of California: wide receiver C.J. Williams and kicker Gianni Smith.

The two teams also have several coaching connections. Wisconsin co-defensive coordinator / safeties coach Alex Grinch spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons as USC’s defensive coordinator. Grinch and USC head football coach Lincoln Riley also coached together at Oklahoma from 2019-21. Grinch and USC offensive coordinator / offensive line coach Josh Henson coached together at Missouri from 2012-14.

In addition, Wisconsin’s senior advisor to head coach Luke Fickell is Jack Del Rio, who was a consensus All-America linebacker at USC in 1984. Del Rio played in the 1982 Fiesta Bowl and 1985 Rose Bowl and was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.

Wisconsin linebacker Tackett Curtis played at USC in 2023, making eight starts and recording 40 tackles. Wisconsin wide receiver CJ Williams also played at USC in 2022, catching four passes for 34 yards.

These connections add an extra layer of intrigue to this weekend’s matchup. With so many familiar faces on both sides, it’s sure to be an intense and competitive game.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, Ducks Wire, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Several former USC players, notable former coach are now on the Wisconsin sideline

Several former USC players and coaches are now on the Wisconsin sideline

(This story was updated to correct a misspelling/typo)

Wisconsin begins Big Ten play on Saturday with a road trip to No. 13 USC.

The game is one of several tough matchups that await the Badgers during their challenging Big Ten slate. Given the team’s slow start to the season, there aren’t many that appear more important than the opener against the Trojans.

Related: Wisconsin updated depth chart for Week 5 vs. USC includes new starters at quarterback, tight end

USC enters Saturday off a tough 27-24 road loss to No. 12 Michigan. But it remains a projected contender in the conference. That is due to another prolific Lincoln Riley offense and a much-improved defense under new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn.

Wisconsin has a connection to that defensive improvement. Former USC DC Alex Grinch, who led the Trojans to become arguably the nation’s worst defensive team, is now the Badgers safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator. Luke Fickell brought him in this offseason after he was fired from USC last November.

Those connections will also be seen on the field. Wisconsin wide receiver C.J. Williams is a former USC Trojan — he transferred to the Badgers before the 2023 season after playing one year for Riley’s program. Badgers inside linebacker Tackett Curtis also has the same connection. He chose the Trojans over the Badgers coming out of high school, then transferred to Wiscosin before this season after playing for USC as a true freshman in 2023.

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell discussed those connections during his Monday media availability. His message: “This is about Wisconsin vs. USC.”

The Badgers and Trojans will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. The game is pivotal to each team’s season — Wisconsin needing an upward trajectory and USC needing to return to the top of the conference standings.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

Who did more to improve their defense in the offseason – LSU or USC?

USC and LSU try to go from confusion to competence on defense after brutal 2023 seasons.

On the Conquest Call-In Show at the USC Voice of College Football, a caller asked which defense has improved more in the offseason between USC and LSU.  Both schools saw their defenses reach historic lows statistically in 2023 under Alex Grinch and Matt House respectively. Those two coordinators had absolutely no idea how to unlock the talent and potential of their players on the defensive side of the ball. There was confusion about the scheme and where to line up. Coaches were not playing the right players and putting them in position to succeed. USC and LSU were dogged by the same sets of problems with the same overall dynamics involved.

In the offseason USC hired D’Anton Lynn, the architect who took a UCLA defense that ranked among the worst in college football in 2022 and transformed the Bruins into a top 15 defense in the country in one year.  LSU also found a replacement for House in Blake Baker, whose defense helped the Missouri Tigers to a top 10 national ranking in 2023, capped by a win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

Check out our response to the caller’s question. Our answer deals with the coaching and roster additions USC made in the offseason at the 23:48 mark of the show (link below is cued up to the discussion).

https://www.youtube.com/live/rSRtU-FD4fQ?si=xQPwgA8mAkZaIuMj&t=1428

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, Ducks Wire, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

One-on-one interview with Wisconsin Badgers safety Hunter Wohler

One-on-one interview with Wisconsin Badgers safety Hunter Wohler

The Wisconsin Badgers football team returned to practice at Camp Randall Stadium on Tuesday after spending two weeks at an off-site camp at UW-Platteville. They’ll ramp up their game preparation over the next few weeks before beginning the season on Aug. 30 against Western Michigan.

Senior safety Hunter Wohler is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he recorded 120 total tackles, including a sack, while also securing two interceptions and six pass deflections. His performance led to him being selected as a First Team All-Big Ten (AP) member.

Wohler was kind enough to field a few questions from us following practice Monday, explaining how an improved linebackers group impacts him and the rest of the secondary.

“It frees us up to play loose and go make plays. Third downs especially, it can put some pressure on the quarterback and make them make stupid decisions. We can take advantage of that,” Wohler detailed.

This offseason, the Badgers hired Alex Grinch to become their safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator, a decision that Wohler certainly endorses.

“Great dude. Great coach. He understands the position really well,” Wohler continued, “He challenges us heavily. Him being around has forced us to be better and take ownership of what we’re doing.”

Wohler had the opportunity to make the jump to the NFL following his junior season, but he decided to stick around and try and finish what he started at Wisconsin. He’ll look to build off of his monster year in 2023 when the Badgers officially kick off their season in 16 days.

Eerie parallels between LSU’s new defensive coordinator and Alex Grinch

LSU is placing a lot of faith in its corners and safeties in ways which offer a parallel with Alex Grinch. This could get interesting.

USC plays LSU in Week 1, as you know. LSU Wire recently posed a concern about the Tigers’ young cornerbacks’ ability to hold up in man coverage in new defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s scheme. There’s a parallel with Alex Grinch involved. Here’s what LSU Wire had to say:

New defensive coordinator Blake Baker will play an aggressive style of defense. That could put stress on an inexperienced secondary, specifically LSU’s group of cornerbacks.

At Missouri, Baker had two of the best corners in the SEC with Kris Abrams-Draine and Ennis Rakestraw. Both playing at an elite level was a big reason why Missouri’s defense was among the best in the country.

Now at LSU, Baker has the talent, but it’s unproven. Ashton Stamps looks to be LSU’s top corner right now. As a true freshman last year, he played 51 snaps in man coverage, Stamps struggled, allowing a perfect NFL passer rating of 158.3, according to PFF.

LSU is boosted by the return of CB Zy Alexander, but his season was cut short by injury last year and the ramp up this summer has been slow. Ohio State transfer JK Johnson is set to see time too, but he’s also returning from injury after missing the entirety of 2023.

For LSU to take the needed step forward, at least one of these guys needs to emerge as an SEC-level player in man coverage.

This should make the hair on the back of Trojan fans’ necks stand up. One of the fatal flaws of Alex Grinch’s defense was the pressure it applied to the corners and safeties, often placing them on an island.  If the pass rush doesn’t get home, it puts a lot of pressure on the secondary.  In 2022 Mekhi Blackmon was a first-team All-Pac-12 cornerback, but without him in 2023, the USC defense was much more susceptible to chunk plays.

The Trojans’ strength on offense is at wide receiver, led by the talented second-year wide receivers Makai Lemon, Ja’Kobi Lane, Duce Robinson and Zachariah Branch. Lincoln Riley and his receivers might make the Tigers pay if they have unproven cornerbacks cover them in man defense on the outside.  Look for Riley and Miller Moss to try to capitalize on one on one matchups outside that favor the Trojans.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.