#Leonhard trial#

Just getting them to continue to understand the trust, the confidence we have in this group of men that we will get this thing going in the right direction, and it’s going to happen sooner than later.” “That’s why I came back a number of years ago and that’s why I haven’t left and that’s the mission that I want to continue for with our guys. “I feel like I can take this opportunity and help this place grow,” Leonhard said. Those were significant factors in why he turned down overtures for major coaching jobs, including the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator role in February 2021. Leonhard, the 39-year-old former Badgers All-America safety who has been the team’s defensive coordinator since 2017, has spoken often about his love for the university, the football program and the culture. Leonhard has seven regular-season games to show whether he can help Wisconsin right the ship and potentially earn the full-time job.

#Leonhard trial#

Making the move now to give Leonhard a trial run as the interim coach makes sense for many reasons. Wisconsin led the FBS in total defense under Jim Leonhard last year.

The UW Foundation will pay the reduced buyout. The Badgers were initially on the hook for roughly $19.5 million for terminating Chryst without cause. Chryst agreed to a reduced buyout of $11 million, to be paid before Feb. Players were informed in the evening during a closed-door team meeting that included Chryst, McIntosh and Leonhard. McIntosh said he met with Chryst on Sunday morning for what he described as “a long meeting” and made the change. I felt that it was time, it was the right time to make a change to pursue those.” The expectations of our program at Wisconsin are to win championships. I would just comment more holistically on where we’re at. And so those are the kind of questions that going forward will be directed to Jimmy. “I’ve made it a practice of not commenting on the specifics of our program or our personnel or players on it or coaches, what happens in the details,” McIntosh said. McIntosh declined to identify where he believed Wisconsin was lacking or behind as a program. Recruiting struggles, lack of quarterback development from a coach who once thrived in that area and an inability for offseason coaching changes to make an impact also likely contributed to Chryst’s demise. The Badgers finished 4-3 during a pandemic-shortened 2020 season and 9-4 in 2021, losing to Minnesota in the regular-season finale to prevent them from capturing the West Division. But since the beginning of the 2020 season, Wisconsin is 15-10 overall, including 9-8 in the Big Ten, and has failed to win the West.Įxpectations among Wisconsin’s fan base and those within the athletic department and football program have changed to the point that not vying for conference titles is considered unacceptable. Wisconsin had been 52-16 during Chryst’s first five seasons as head coach while appearing in three conference title games and qualifying for three New Year’s Six bowl games. 'The expectations of our program at Wisconsin are to win championships.'Ĭhris McIntosh discusses decision to replace Paul Chryst.įor Chryst, it wasn’t one thing that led to his downfall but rather the totality of multiple shortcomings, which dropped a proud Wisconsin program down a notch and pushed the Badgers farther away from reaching their goals of competing for Big Ten championships. He kept his responses tight and provided little explanation about the specific factors that led to the change, citing only that it wasn’t a game-by-game decision but rather one “based upon where we’re at as a program.” McIntosh acted swiftly after Wisconsin opened the season 2-3 with losses to all three Power 5 programs it has played. Even two days ago, there was plenty of doubt that McIntosh would make an in-season change at a program that had been among the steadiest in the country for so long and hadn’t fired a coach since Don Morton’s exit back in 1989.īut a 34-10 loss at home to Illinois on Saturday represented the final straw for the Chryst era. When Wisconsin played its first game of the season 29 days ago, this entire scene seemed unthinkable. “And I felt at this point in time that a change was needed.” “I’m tasked with making difficult decisions about the future and of the direction of this program,” McIntosh said.