Tag: Paul Chryst

Illinois coach spoke with Paul Chryst and Jim Leonhard about transfer additions from Wisconsin

Illinois head coach called Paul Chryst and Jim Leonhard about Wisconsin transfer additions

This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccurate headline and to add new information.

Illinois coach Bret Bielema said he was in contact with former Wisconsin coaches Paul Chryst and Jim Leonhard during the recent winter transfer window.

Meeting with the media on Sunday, Bielema elaborated on his pursuit of three key former Wisconsin transfers: defensive linemen James Thompson Jr. and Curt Neal, and outside linebacker Leon Lowery. All three committed to Illinois after gauging other transfer interests. Bielema said he called the two former Wisconsin coaches during the process.

Related: Power ranking all 18 Big Ten football programs after the 2024 season

“James (Thompson Jr.) is a player, I remember when we played two years ago, was formidable,” Bielema began. “I called (Jim Leonhard) right away, just kind of checking, you always have perspective when you have a lot of coaches you know. And I knew Jimmy, was there with him. Reached out to Paul (Chryst) as well. Just want to make sure what I was seeing was real.”

Both Neal and Thompson Jr. were Chryst recruits in the class of 2022 and 2020, respectively. Each played under the longtime Wisconsin coach before electing to remain with the program for the first two years of the Luke Fickell era. Each entered the portal after the 2024 campaign.

Neal was arguably the Badgers’ best defensive lineman over the last few seasons, totaling 42 tackles, five for loss and 1/2 sack. Thompson Jr., meanwhile, held that title in 2023 before missing most of the 2024 season with an injury.

Each figures to lead an Illinois defense coached by defensive coordinator Aaron Henry (Wisconsin defensive back from 2007-11) and defensive line coach Terrance Jamison (former Wisconsin DL).

Leonhard just wrapped up the 2024 NFL season as the Denver Broncos’ secondary coach. Chryst, meanwhile, was out of coaching this past season after spending 2023 as an offensive analyst at Texas.

The Wisconsin connection still exists for Bielema, Chryst and Leonhard, as well as those two former Badgers on the Illinois staff. The Fighting Illini prioritizing several former Badgers in the portal shows that reality. As the years pass, Bielema’s Illinois program resembles Wisconsin, where he coached from 2006-12, more and more.

Luke Fickell and Wisconsin will host Illinois on Nov. 22 next season. It will be a rematch of the Badgers’ 25-21 road win over the Fighting Illini in 2023.

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Former Wisconsin running backs coach set to take offensive line job at AAC program

Former Wisconsin running backs coach takes offensive line job at AAC program

Former Wisconsin running backs coach Al Johnson is expected to join Temple as its offensive line coach, according to 247Sports’ Chris Hummer.

Johnson spent the 2022 season with the Badgers. He’s most recently coached offensive line at Montana State (2023-24), where he helped lead the team to Football Championship Subdivision-best scoring totals.

His season at Wisconsin is his only as a running backs coach at any level. His coaching career has included stops as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Southern Door High School (2013), the same position at St. Norbert (D-III, 2014-15), a graduate assistant at Wisconsin (2016-17) and the head coach at East Central (D-II, 2018-21).

Johnson has then excelled coaching offensive line at Montana State over the past two seasons. He is now set to join new head coach K.C. Keeler’s Temple staff, one looking to turn around a program that has gone 3-9 in each of the last four seasons.

Wisconsin’s hire of Johnson in 2022 was one of several major moves as Paul Chryst overhauled his coaching staff. Other moves in that time include the hire of Bobby Engram as offensive coordinator, Chris Haering moving from special teams to tight ends and Bob Bostad moving from inside linebackers to offensive line,

That staff didn’t get much time to turn the team around, as Chryst was fired in early October after a 2-3 start. Luke Fickell then installed an entirely new coaching staff after taking the job in late-November.

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Longtime Paul Chryst assistant at Wisconsin rehired by Big 12 program

Former Paul Chryst Wisconsin assistant rehired by Big 12 program

West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez rehired former Wisconsin tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Chris Haering to an assistant role on Tuesday.

Rodriguez continues to build his coaching staff after joining the program in December. Haering has been an assistant special teams coach with the Mountaineers since 2023. Rodriguez rehired him to the same position.

Haering spent eight years with the Badgers before moving on after the 2022 campaign. That tenure lined up directly with head coach Paul Chryst’s — Haering was his special teams coordinator for seven seasons before coaching tight ends in 2022.

The former Badger assistant was part of an entire staff that was let go after the 2022 season as Luke Fickell took over at the helm.

Haering and Chryst go back further than their time with the Badgers — Haering coached for three seasons under Chryst at Pittsburgh (2012-14). They originally coached together on the West Virginia staff in the early 1990s, both as graduate assistants.

Haering played linebacker for the Mountaineers from 1986-89. He is currently ranked No. 11 in program history in tackles (340).

The special teams coach is one of two former Wisconsin assistants on Rodriguez’s West Virginia staff — Jack Bicknell Jr. (OL, 2023) signed on as its offensive line coach.

Rodriguez and his staff are working to reestablish a program that has not won 10 games since 2016 and was 37-35 in six seasons under former coach Neal Brown.

As Haering and Bicknell Jr. continue to coach, all eyes remain fixed on Chryst, who has been out of coaching since spending the 2023 season as an offensive analyst at Texas.

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Former Wisconsin wide receiver transfers to SEC school

Former Wisconsin receiver transfers to SEC school

Former Wisconsin wide receiver Markus Allen committed to Mississippi State on Tuesday.

The former Badger entered the portal on Dec. 10 after playing the 2024 season at Eastern Michigan. There, he tallied a career-best 43 catches, 651 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Allen now commits to the Bulldogs with two years of eligibility remaining.

Related: Where Wisconsin football transfers have signed so far

Allen originally joined Wisconsin as a three-star recruit in the class of 2021, flipping to the Badgers after initially committing to Michigan. He played parts of two years with the program, totaling 10 receptions, 156 yards and one receiving touchdown.

The Ohio native first entered the portal in October of 2022 after Wisconsin fired Paul Chryst. He opted to return to the Badgers in December of that year after briefly committing to rival Minnesota. That return did not last long, however, as he reentered the portal in June of 2023.

Allen went on to play the 2023 season at Butler Community College in Kansas before transferring to Eastern Michigan. As mentioned, he put together a career year with the Eagles in 2024.

The former Badger joins a Mississippi State program that went 2-10 in 2024 under first-year head coach Jeff Lebby. Lebby was previously the offensive coordinator under Brent Venables at Oklahoma. He now leads a Bulldogs program that has been reeling since the death of former coach Mike Leach.

Allen recently gained an extra year of eligibility after the NCAA granted waivers for years spent at junior college. He’ll now look to capitalize on a breakout 2024 campaign and translate the production to the SEC level.

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Former Wisconsin safety announces transfer destination

Former Wisconsin safety announces transfer destination

Former Wisconsin safety Kamo’i Latu committed to UConn this week.

Latu entered the portal on Dec. 12 after three years with the program. He joins the Huskies for a final season of eligibility.

Related: Wisconsin football 2024 transfer portal departure tracker

Latu transferred to Wisconsin entering 2022 from Utah. He started for the Badgers that season, totaling 55 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions and three pass deflections.

The veteran safety then played only 14 games over the next two years following the program’s hire of coach Luke Fickell. Latu suited up for three contests in an injury-plagued 2024 campaign.

He joins a UConn program that has become a popular destination for former Wisconsin transfers. Nick Evers and Skyler Bell transferred to the Huskies after the 2023 season. Bell had a career year with the Huskies, helping lead the team to a program-best 8-4 season and Fenway Bowl appearance.

Wisconsin will enter 2025 with Preston Zachman as its primary starting safety and an opening at the other spot. Transfers Matthew Traynor (Richmond) and Matt Jung (Bethel) figure to compete for the major share of snaps.

The position is one of several on Wisconsin’s roster that had its depth decimated during this portal window. In addition to Latu, redshirt freshmen Justin Taylor and Braedyn Moore transferred out.

Latu’s added intrigue to his transfer on Monday when he specifically thanked Paul Chryst and Jim Leonhard for his time at Wisconsin. Neither coach has been with the program since 2022. There was no mention of the Badgers’ current staff.

“Huge shoutout to Paul Chryst and Jim Leonard staff for an amazing time at Wisconsin,” Latu posted on X. “Wisconsin will always have a special place in my heart!”

Latu is one of 10 former Badgers to announce a transfer destination so far. For where every departing transfer ends up, bookmark our transfer departure tracker.

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Former Wisconsin offensive tackle declares for 2025 NFL draft

Former Wisconsin offensive tackle declares for 2025 NFL Draft

Former Wisconsin Badgers and current Kansas Jayhawks offensive tackle Logan Brown declared for the 2025 NFL draft on Wednesday.

“It has been an honor to represent the University of Kansas football program these past two years,” Brown wrote on X. “I want to thank my teammates for the memories we have made on and off the field and for competing with me day in and day out. I want to thank the coaching, athletic training, and support staff for allowing me to grow into the player and person I am today. I could not be more excited to declare for the 2025 NFL draft.”

The 6-foot-6, 315-pound offensive tackle spent four seasons with the Badgers from 2019-2022. After redshirting his freshman season, he appeared in 26 games, including three starts, for Wisconsin before entering the transfer portal in November 2022.

Brown joined Lance Leipold and the Kansas Jayhawks beginning in 2023. There, he logged 13 total appearances over two years before making the decision to go pro.

As a recruit, Brown was arguably the best offensive tackle in the country. 247Sports composite ranking considered Brown was the No. 17 overall prospect in the 2019 recruiting class, the No. 1 offensive tackle, and the No. 1 player from Michigan.

Brown never ended up panning out in Madison, but his move to Kansas appears to have worked in his favor. He blocked for 1,266-yard rusher Devin Neal for the 5-7 Jayhawks, a team responsible for eliminating the Colorado Buffaloes from College Football Playoff contention on Nov. 23.

He’s now projected as a mid-round pick in April’s draft.

Former Wisconsin Badgers assistant becomes Chicago Bears interim offensive coordinator

Former Wisconsin Badgers assistant becomes Chicago Bears interim offensive coordinator

Former Wisconsin running backs coach Thomas Brown was named interim offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears on Tuesday.

The move arrived shortly after the Bears brass fired former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. The team’s recent three-game losing streak, coupled with lofty expectations surrounding star quarterback Caleb Williams, spurred the release.

With the Chicago Bears at 4-5 on the season, Brown will now manage the offense for the time being.

Brown’s connection to Wisconsin goes back to 2014. Under former Badger head coach Gary Anderson, Brown captained a running back room featuring 2014 Heisman Trophy runner-up Melvin Gordon and future NFL running back Corey Clement.

Backed by over 3,600 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns from Gordon and Clement, Wisconsin rolled to an 11-3 record, Big Ten Championship Game appearance and victory over #19 Auburn in the Outback Bowl.

Following his tenure at UW, Brown spent time as the running backs coach at Georgia (2015), Miami-FL (2016-18) and South Carolina (2019) before making the jump to the NFL level.

There, he served Los Angeles Rams’ running backs coach in 2020 and assistant head coach from 2021-22 before being hired as the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers in ’23.

Brown assumed duties as the Bears’ passing game coordinator in 2024. The former Wisconsin assistant will now take a stab at calling the plays for Williams and company for the foreseeable future.

The Bears are next on the field on Sunday against the Packers.

Packers running back details Wisconsin recruitment, the ‘most boring visit ever’

Packers running back details Wisconsin recruitment, the ‘most boring visit ever’

It’s safe to say that Green Bay Packers running back A.J. Dillon did not enjoy his recruiting visit to Wisconsin during the class of 2017 cycle.

Dillon detailed the visit as ‘the most boring [he’d] ever been on’ on a recent episode of his podcast, Toonen to Dillon.

Related: Wisconsin football’s all-time leading rushers

Some background: the current Packers running back and former Boston College Eagle was a four-star running back in the class of 2017. Wisconsin was one of the many top programs to enter his recruitment — a group that also included Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida State and Nebraska.

Dillon described his visit to Madison during his recruiting process, saying, ‘I’m there as a high school kid, and all we did is we went to Buffalo Wild Wings.’ He did so after reading what appears to be a letter from the Badgers apologizing for the visit, emphasizing that was the program’s No. 1 running back target in the class.

Dillon did clarify that his opinion on the state of Wisconsin, and the city of Madison, has changed since beginning his career with the Packers.

“Now I love Wisconsin,” Dillon continued. “And every time I go down to Madison, it’s so much fun.”

Dillon ended up at Boston College in the class of 2017, ranked as the No. 324 player in the class and No. 1 recruit from the state of Connecticut. He went on to play three years with the Eagles before entering the 2020 NFL draft, where the Packers selected him with the No. 62 overall pick.

Dillon’s stats at Boston College from 2017-19 include 845 total carries, 4,382 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns.

Those numbers fall short of the top running back that Wisconsin landed in the 2017 cycle — a player who would not have been a Badger had Dillon pledged to the class.

That is all-time great Jonathan Taylor, a fringe-four-star recruit ranked as the No. 24 running back in the class.

Taylor’s numbers from 2017-19: 926 carries, 6,174 rushing yards, 6.7 yards per carry and 50 rushing touchdowns.

It worked out for all parties in the end. Dillon got to the NFL, while Wisconsin saw arguably the greatest three-year run at the position in college football history.

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Caleb Williams discusses Wisconsin transfer rumors from 2022 offseason

Caleb Williams discusses Wisconsin transfer rumors from 2022 offseason

It’s time to finally put to rest a story that is more than two years old.

Chicago Bears starting quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NFL draft out of USC, joined the “Pardon My Take” podcast on Thursday. One question from host Dan Katz brought the conversation back to the 2022 offseason: He asked Williams whether he ever truly considered Wisconsin during his transfer process.

Related: 10 bold predictions for Wisconsin’s 2024 football season

A refresher: Williams was a rising star at Oklahoma during the 2021 season. He won the starting job from Spencer Rattler in impressive fashion. Rattler, for context, was a popular Heisman pick entering the campaign.

Williams made headlines during his debut season, throwing for 21 touchdowns and only four interceptions in 11 games.

But Oklahoma head coach and QB guru Lincoln Riley surprisingly left for USC toward the end of the 2021 season, which led Williams to enter the transfer portal after it concluded. USC was the likely destination from the start given the connection to Riley. But some Wisconsin rumors started circling when the Badgers hired offensive coordinator Bobby Engram, one of Williams’ close family friends whose son Dean was also a cornerback at Wisconsin.

This happened after Wisconsin starter Graham Mertz mostly struggled during the 2021 season. Fans still had hope that Mertz would live up to his top recruit billing, but a potential addition of Williams would have been a game-changing upgrade.

That let the rumors get life. Those rumors persisted until Williams  committed to USC later that offseason.

Williams confirmed his contact with the Badgers during his appearance on Pardon My Take.

“My best friend Dean Engram was at Wisconsin and his dad (Bobby Engram) was a coach. So we reached out to them. We were trying to just get the vibe and see what was going on, how it was up there,” Williams said. “Somehow it caught wind that I was in contact with them. I’m consistently in contact with those two, because I’ve grown up with them.”

So Williams confirmed that his camp reached out to Wisconsin, though mostly with information gathering in mind. He went on to clarify that it was never a real consideration.

“Somehow it caught wind and it blew up on Instagram. But it wasn’t too huge. It was never too crazy,” Williams clarified.

The star quarterback, at least, went on to compliment the Badgers fans who reached out to urge him to commit to the program.

Williams won the Heisman Trophy at USC in 2022 before being selected No. 1 in the 2024 draft. He appears to be the next Lincoln Riley quarterback set to rise to NFL stardom. That means his transfer decision, looking back, was the correct one.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, fired head coach Paul Chryst five games into the 2022 season. Bobby Engram returned to the NFL level as a result, joining the Washington Commanders as their WRs coach. What appeared to be an attractive destination for the star transfer was anything but.

There is an argument that Williams joining the Badgers would have extended the Paul Chryst era. But according to the quarterback himself, it never had a real chance of happening.

At least there is closure to this two-year-old what-if.

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Jayden Daniels, who the Badgers defeated in 2021 Las Vegas Bowl, named Washington starting QB

Wisconsin has a history with Washington’s new starting QB

Former LSU and Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels was named the Washington Commanders’ starting quarterback on Monday.

The news comes as no surprise. Daniels excelled since the Commanders had selected him at No. 2 in the 2024 NFL draft.

Related: Every former Wisconsin Badger currently on an NFL roster entering 2024 training camp

We tend to make a Wisconsin connection to the big news of the day, which is why it’s time to revisit the time the Paul Chryst-led Badgers defeated Daniels, then at Arizona State, in the 2021 Las Vegas Bowl.

The game was the final one for the 2021 Wisconsin defense — one of the best in program history. It went out in style, holding the Sun Devils to 219 yards and 13 points.

Daniels, a future Heisman winner (2023, LSU) threw for 159 yards and an interception while adding 40 rushing yards.

Wisconsin iced the contest with a classic 10-minute, 0-point clock-killing drive late in the fourth quarter. It was one of the final wins of the Paul Chryst era, which then ended after a Week 4 loss to Illinois the following season.

In hindsight, the Badgers defeated one of the best quarterbacks in the sport. Daniels transferred to LSU before the 2022 season. His breakout 2023 campaign ended in a Heisman Trophy.

He is starting Week 1 for a Commanders team looking for a new direction under new head coach Dan Quinn. It’s safe to say Daniels has improved greatly since the meeting with the Badgers almost three years ago.

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