11-21-22 leonhard appears to have inside track to be named permanent badgers head football coach

Just a handful of hours after the Wisconsin Badgers football team secured bowl eligibility with a 1-point win over Nebraska on Saturday, the official job posting for the head coaching position went live on the University of Wisconsin’s job board.  FanNation reports that “after Paul Chryst’s firing on October 2, it appears the administration has seen enough to know the direction they want to go.   Unsurprisingly, everything points to Jim Leonhard.”    The current interim coach for the Badgers, Leonhard, has been groomed for this moment and has helped guide Wisconsin to a 21st straight bowl game despite the team beginning the year with a 2-3 record under Chryst.  A native of Tony (Wis.), Leonhard is a former great at Wisconsin and has righted the ship this season after several years as one of the top up-and-coming assistant coaches in the country. Since Chryst’s firing, the Badgers have a 4-2 record, and the players have rallied around their 40-year-old coach.   With a 7-day window needed to align with UW System rules, applicants have until November 26 to apply for the role, but Leonhard is the clear front-runner for the position.  The timing of the job posting leaves a chance that Leonhard could earn the role on Sunday, immediately following Wisconsin’s regular-season finale against Minnesota at Camp Randall Stadium next weekend.  With early signing day just a month away, the timing also gives the staff a chance to provide recruits with a clear message and more clarity about the future of the program. With three de-commitments since Paul Chryst’s firing, including two in the past few days, the Badgers sit at 11 commits currently and are looking to solidify their class while potentially adding more prospects in the coming weeks.