Former Badgers coach Jim Leonhard reportedly finds an NFL job
Former Wisconsin interim head coach and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard has landed an NFL job according to ESPN's Dan Graziano, as defensive backs coach for the Denver Broncos.
Leonhard spent last season on the University of Illinois defensive staff as a senior analyst after he parted ways with UW. Leonhard was named interim head coach at UW in 2022 when the program fired Paul Chryst in early October, but he was bypassed for the full-time job when Wisconsin hired former Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell.
Broncos incumbent defensive backs coach Christian Walker, who interviewed for the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator opening, was expected to leave Denver for a job in Philadelphia.
Leonhard was a candidate for that Packers defensive coordinator spot in 2021 when the team ultimately hired Joe Barry. Leonhard said he turned down the opportunity and returned to Wisconsin.
The former walk-on defensive back from Flambeau High School became a three-time All-American as a player at Wisconsin and played 10 seasons in the NFL. He joined UW in 2016 as defensive backs coach before getting promoted a year later to the defensive coordinator spot, where he enjoyed considerable success.
The job with the Broncos is his first NFL coaching gig. He played with the Broncos in 2012, a team that finished 13-3 before losing in the divisional round to Baltimore when the Ravens scored an overtime-forcing 70-yard touchdown with 31 seconds left in regulation.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former Badgers coach Jim Leonhard reportedly finds an NFL job
