Where last year's Badgers football coaching staff (and some players) will be working in 2023

Near-wholesale changes came for the football coaching staff at the University of Wisconsin this season. The arrival of Luke Fickell has led into new hires across the board, but many of last year's assistants have landed in new places for the upcoming season.

That includes, of course, Jim Leonhard getting hired by Illinois and former UW head coach Bret Bielema.

Here's where the coaches are working in 2023, and also a reminder of where some familiar players will be suiting up:

Paul Chryst, head coach (Texas special assistant)

Chryst, who was stunningly relieved of his coaching duties Oct. 2 after a lopsided loss to Illinois the day before, will be special assistant to Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.

Sarkisian has been head coach of the Longhorns program the past two seasons, leading Texas to a 13-12 record overall. The Longhorns will play in the Big 12 Conference for the final time this season before flipping to the SEC next year.

Jim Leonhard, defensive coordinator/interim head coach (Illinois senior football analyst)

The beloved ex-Badgers standout led the defense starting in 2017, twice lifting UW to one of the nation's top-three defenses. He took over as interim head coach for Chryst last year, seemingly on track to get the permanent gig before Fickell's hire. Leonhard will join a staff that already includes several players with ties to the UW program, including first-year defensive coordinator Aaron Henry.

Bobby Engram, offensive coordinator, wide receivers (Washington Commanders receivers)

Engram was in Wisconsin for one year only, coming off eight seasons as an assistant with the Baltimore Ravens.

Upon departure, he headed right back to the NFL, joining the Washington Commanders as wide receivers coach. He'll work on a staff under head coach Ron Rivera and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, the latter of whom was hired this season.

Bobby April, outside linebackers, run game (Stanford defensive coordinator)

April, who'd been with Wisconsin since 2018 but had previous experience at multiple stops in the NFL and college, was hired just before Christmas 2022 by first-year coach Troy Taylor, who takes the reins after Stanford parted with David Shaw following 11 seasons. April will also handle linebackers in his new spot.

Mark D'Onofrio, inside linebackers (Stanford inside linebackers)

The former second-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers (1992) joined the Badgers staff in 2022 after stops in places like Temple, Miami and Houston, where he'd been defensive coordinator, but he'd been out of college football since 2018 when Chryst came calling last June.

D'Onofrio was a late addition to the UW staff after Bill Sheridan resigned following a report that he had violated NCAA rules during a previous stop at Air Force. There won't be any time off this year, with D'Onofrio following April to Stanford.

Chris Haering, tight ends (unknown)

After eight seasons at Wisconsin, Haering doesn't have a new landing spot just yet. He coached special teams for seven seasons at UW before switching to the tight-ends job for the 2022 season.

Al Johnson, running backs (Montana State offensive line)

The former standout offensive lineman with the Badgers returned to the program as running backs coach in March of 2022; he replaced Gary Brown, who left the team with health problems and tragically died at age 52 after one season at UW. Former UW running back Julius Davis announced he was also transferring to Montana State.

Johnson was a three-year starter at UW and a second-round draft pick by the Cowboys in 2003. It sounds like a pretty great hire for Montana State third-year head coach Brent Vigen, though the Bobcats are no slouch; they've played in the FCS Semifinals each of the past three seasons and advanced to the national championship game in 2021.

Ross Kolodziej, defensive line (Stanford defensive line)

He's another guy that Bobby April is bringing west, hired the same day as D'Onofrio. The seven-year NFL veteran spent eight seasons with his alma mater at Wisconsin, largely as a strength and conditioning coach before moving to the defensive line in 2021.

Hank Poteat, cornerbacks (Iowa State cornerbacks)

The Cyclones hired Poteat in January after his two seasons at Wisconsin. The 10-year NFL veteran has a Super Bowl ring (2004 New England Patriots) and played for five NFL teams. His coaching career included a stop as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, where he worked under then-head coach Chryst.

Iowa State went 4-8 last year, snapping a five-year run of bowl games, including the 2020 Fiesta Bowl victory.

Alvis Whitted, wide receivers (Utah wide receivers)

Whitted was hired at UW in early March 2020 as Wisconsin receivers coach, right before the pandemic tossed everything into shambles. He'd been in the same position for the Green Bay Packers in 2019, just as Davante Adams was emerging into a superstar. He'll now join the Utes, who have gone 10-4 each of the past two years and appeared in the Rose Bowl both times.

Bob Bostad, offensive line (Indiana offensive line)

Bostad coached inside linebackers for UW from 2017 to 2021, then jumped to the offensive line in 2022. He'd previously been an OL coach at Wisconsin from 2008 to 2011 and held similar positions in the NFL with Tampa Bay and Tennessee. He'll have his hands full trying to reform Indiana's offensive line struggles; the school had two coaches in the spot last year.

More: A list of 2024 recruits for the Wisconsin Badgers football team; latest: Dilin Jones

More: Badgers football player tracker: Who's new, who's gone and who's still here?

Players (like Graham Mertz) in new places, too

Several players transferred from UW and have a spot in new programs. Included among them:

• Graham Mertz, quarterback (Florida). There's an active battle for the starting quarterback job in Gainesville between Mertz and Jack Miller, who played under center for Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl after future top-five NFL draft pick Anthony Richardson opted out.

• Logan Brown, offensive tackle (Kansas). The former five-star UW recruit was primarily focusing on right tackle in the spring for the program coached by former UW-Whitewater coach and Wisconsin native Lance Leipold.

• Semar Melvin, cornerback (Michigan State). Melvin has one year of eligibility left and figures into the picture for the Spartans secondary, though he won't get a chance to renew acquaintances with UW during the regular season in 2023.

• Isaac Guerendo, running back (Louisville). The senior transfer with blazing speed should see the field for a team that went 8-5 last year. Injuries short-circuited his tenure with the Badgers.

• Deacon Hill, quarterback (Iowa). He won't immediately be the starter, with Michigan transfer Cade McNamara in the fold as well, but it'll be interesting to watch Hill's progression with the Big Ten rival.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Where did the 2022 Wisconsin Badgers football coaches end up?