Leonard to leave

Jim Leonard has made his decision.   He will not return to the University of Wisconsin Football program after getting passed over for the Head Coaching job, given instead to Luke Fickell from the University of Cincinnati.     Fickell had expressed interest in retaining Leonard but the former Badger walk on player will walk away.   He joined Paul Chryst’s staff as the secondary coach in 2016 after his NFL playing career, becoming Defensive Coordinator in 2017.   His units ranked among the best nationally throughout his tenure and when Chryst was fired five games into this past season, Leonard took over as Interim Head Coach the rest of the way.    Leonard says he will stay on with the team through the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix against Oklahoma State on December 27 but will then pursue other opportunities.    The Green Bay Packers interviewed Leonard for the Defensive Coordinator job in early 2021 before going with Joe Barry who is considered to be in jeopardy on Matt LaFleur’s staff after a disappointing sesaon.