Illinois Football: 5 options to replace Ryan Walters as Illini defensive coordinator

6. Jim Leonhard – Former Wisconsin DC/Interim HC

In the first five options, I was thinking about coaching connections with Bret Bielema, but there is also a big-time coach available who played for Bielema. That coach option is Jim Leonhard.

Before becoming the head coach at Wisconsin, Bielema was the defensive coordinator there for two seasons. In 2004, he coached a talented defensive back in Leonhard.

Leonhard was a main staple in a dominating Wisconsin defense in 2004. The Badgers only gave up 15.4 points per game that season, which ranked No. 6 in the country.

After a long NFL career, Leonhard hung up the cleats for a coaching position with Wisconsin in 2016. He entered the program as a defensive backs coach and quickly transitioned into the defensive coordinator by 2017 under then-head coach, Paul Chryst. Chryst was also the offensive coordinator with the Badgers when Bielema was the head coach at Wisconsin. So, that is another connection.

Leonhard would take over as interim head coach of Wisconsin during the 2022 campaign after Chryst was let go. In the past couple of weeks, Leonhard announced he would not be returning to the Wisconsin coaching staff after they hired Cincinnati’s head coach, Luke Fickell.

Leonhard has some high-level defensive coordinator coaching experience in the Big Ten. He has connections as a player to Bielema, and he has some second-level coaching connections to Bielema as well. A big bonus is the fact Leonhard is available. He is not currently coaching, so this would be a seamless transition. This would be a good defensive coordinator hire.