Aranda spent three seasons running the Badgers' defense before leaving for the same position at LSU. If Campbell decides Wisconsin is the place to be, you have to think he'd win plenty of games there, too.ĭave Aranda, Baylor coach: Gary Andersen didn't get much right during his short tenure as Wisconsin coach, but he nailed his defensive coordinator hire. While the Cyclones are only 10-8 overall and 5-6 in Big 12 play since the start of 2021, it's hard to overlook how well he's done at one of the country's most challenging Power Five programs. Of course, that assumes he's ever planned to jump at all. Matt Campbell, Iowa State coach: Some are wondering if Campbell has waited too long to make the jump from Iowa State. If it's not Leonhard, I'd choose Leipold as the most likely candidate. Leipold is a Wisconsin native, and there's some thought that one of the reasons Wisconsin made a move on Chryst this early was because it wanted to make a run at Leipold before Nebraska could - or before Kansas could lock him up with a new deal. But before Leipold did all that, he led Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater to six national titles while going 109-6 in eight seasons. Lance Leipold, Kansas coach: Leipold did a wonderful job building a Buffalo program with little history into a program contending for MAC titles, and he already has Kansas ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2009 in his second season there. Still, Leonhard has garnered interest from other Power Five jobs - including a few Big Ten gigs - in the past, and the feeling was he was more interested in waiting for the Wisconsin job to open. He's been seen as a coach-in-waiting with the Badgers for a while, though most expected his wait to be a little longer. Jim Leonhard, Wisconsin defensive coordinator/interim coach: I genuinely think this is Leonhard's job to lose. Here's a short list of names that could garner interest. So who will be the next coach of the Badgers? Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard seems to be an obvious favorite, and he'll get a seven-game tryout of sorts as the interim, but he's not guaranteed anything. ![]() Considering its history and the money flowing into the athletic department thanks to the Big Ten's latest television deal, it's the kind of job that could pull away sitting Power Five coaches. ![]() While Ohio State and Michigan have dominated the Big Ten throughout its history, Wisconsin has emerged as the conference's West division power and one of its premier programs. From Barry Alvarez's first season in 1990, through Bret Bielema, Gary Andersen and now Chryst, Wisconsin has won six Big Ten titles and been to 27 bowl games, including seven Rose Bowls. Once a Big Ten doormat, Wisconsin has been transformed into a Midwestern power in recent decades. Wisconsin has a coaching vacancy after eighth-year coach Paul Chryst was fired five games into the season, and it immediately becomes one of the most attractive job openings in college football.
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