Paul Chryst (right) was fired and replaced by defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard (left) following Saturday's loss to Illinois. Mark Hoffman / USA TODAY NETWORK

What Badger fans can expect from new HC Jim Leonhard

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Dylan Buboltz | Last updated 10/3/22

A new era of Wisconsin football begins today.

After the firing of Paul Chryst, defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard will be the new coach for the rest of the season. If Leonard is successful, he will get every chance to be the permanent head coach. With a football team reeling, here’s what I think Badger fans can expect with Jim Leonhard.

This will be Bobby Engram’s offense

We don’t know if it was Chryst or offensive coordinator Bobby Engram calling the plays. However, even if it was Engram calling the plays, I would imagine Chryst had a say in what the call would be. After all, he is an offensive coach and was a fantastic offensive coordinator under Bret Bielema.

This is now, and should be, Engram’s offense all the way moving forward. Will we see more shotgun? Will we see the potential for more explosive plays? Time will tell, but I am intrigued to see Bobby Engram have his hand-prints fully on this offense.

Especially early, it will be interesting to see how Graham Mertz plays and responds. The body language was not great in the second half on Saturday. Will a new face help his development and get this offense back to where it’s capable of? Time will tell and I think it will tell sooner rather than later.

The players should respond well

There’s no doubt the players were shocked and hurt by the firing of Paul Chryst. The players have been supportive and active on social media over the last 24 hours showing their love and support for their head coach. This shows Chryst never lost the locker room which is a good sign.

At the end of the day, college football is a business even though it’s a part of the university. Regardless if it’s college or professional, players feel responsible when a coach is fired. It’s a fair thing to think because you know if the results were different, it would not have happened in that moment.

There’s no doubt Jim Leonhard is respected in the locker room by coaches and players. The defense loves playing for him and I believe he has some swag to him the offense needs badly. Expect Leonhard to be a part of the offense and potentially the spark they need,

The chance to win the job full time

This is a job audition for Jim Leonhard. Reports from Evan Flood of 247 Sports suggest that the feeling around the building is this is Leonhard’s job to lose and it would be a shock if he didn’t win this job on a permanent basis. This is a fantastic opportunity for one of the best coaches in the country to get his first gig at his alma mater and the team he grew up rooting for.

In 2020, Leonhard passed on the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator job to stay at Wisconsin. How often do you see that? A coach passes on the NFL to stay in college. Jim Leonard loves Wisconsin. I believe he was made for this moment and will end up being the head coach in 2023 and moving forward.

This is definitely a tough time for Wisconsin Football. You never want a coach, especially as loved and respected as Paul Chryst, to lose his job, At the same time, this is a new era. This is an exciting time.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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