For the Badger fans who don't see the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinnel:
https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uw/2022/10/13/wisconsin-badgers-football-team-interim-coach-jim-leonhard-shows-he-can-lead-in-win-vs-northwestern/10486266002/In less than two weeks, Wisconsin interim coach Jim Leonhard has shown he is confident in his vision and unafraid to exert his authority
Jeff Potrykus
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Oct 12, 2022
MADISON – Jim Leonhard has been Wisconsin’s interim head football coach for one game and less than two weeks.
Concluding whether he is equipped to lead the program for the next five, 10 or 15 years is probably risky.
To hell with it.
What the 39-year-old Leonhard has shown since taking over for Paul Chryst, who was fired on Oct. 2, is that he is confident in his vision, unafraid to exert his authority and comfortable in his skin.
Consider how he has handled his new role so far.
UW’s offense looked listless and inept in losses to Washington State, Ohio State and Illinois. That unit went scoreless in the second half against Washington State and Illinois and managed two fourth-quarter touchdowns at Ohio State – after the Buckeyes had built a 45-7 lead.
So what message did Leonhard send offensive coordinator Bobby Engram and the rest of the offensive coaches before UW’s game last week at Northwestern?
He told them to be more aggressive and find a way to get the ball to the team’s playmakers. In short, he said get in a room and don’t leave until you come up with a good plan.
The results? Graham Mertz passed for 299 yards and five touchdowns and Chimere Dike, UW’s most experienced and explosive wide receiver, put together by far his best day at UW with 10 catches for 185 yards and three touchdowns.
Throw in 193 rushing yards and a 23-yard touchdown pass by tailback Braelon Allen and UW rolled to a 42-7 victory.
Pat Fitzgerald’s team is far from formidable this season, but what mattered most is that the UW offensive staff heeded Leonhard’s order, the players executed and the team got a victory that was critical given everything the players had endured since Chryst was fired.
More:Wisconsin players believe the victory over Northwestern showcased the type of team the Badgers can be down the stretch
Four days after that victory, Leonhard made another call.
Sources told the Journal Sentinel early Thursday morning that redshirt junior offensive lineman Logan Brown had been dismissed from the team by Leonhard because of his role in a fight during practice one day earlier.
Leonhard, on a Zoom call Thursday morning, was asked a generic question about players transferring in the middle of the season.
He addressed the recent decision by third-string quarterback Deacon Hill to transfer and then pivoted to Brown, who announced Wednesday night he was entering the transfer portal.
Leonhard revealed with a composed but firm statement that he had dismissed Brown from the team because of an internal incident.
“This (one) came about in a completely different circumstance,” Leonhard said.
Leonhard declined to share details of the incident and did not go out of his way to criticize Brown. However, his decision to reveal that he had dismissed a player was telling.
Whether he did so intentionally is unclear, but Leonhard’s transparency sent a clear message.
First, even though he is an interim head coach, he is not afraid to make tough decisions he believes are in the best interest of the team. The departure of Brown takes away an experienced reserve and a player who has filled in as a jumbo tight end. Someone else will have to take that role now.
Second, most coaches won’t publicly state a player has been dismissed after that player has announced he plans to transfer.
Leonhard clearly isn’t worried about outside perception as long as he believes he is being truthful and transparent.
He handled his transition from defensive coordinator to interim head coach in a similar manner. He told the players, the overwhelming majority of whom were angered by Chryst’s firing, that the team still belonged to Chryst. The only change was that a new person was leading the way.
The players appreciated that honesty and embraced that message.
Leonhard joked recently when asked about dealing with the media that his 10-year NFL career had taken him to places like New York with the Jets and Baltimore with Ravens. He was accustomed to living in a bright spotlight.
The players who have worked under Leonhard since he joined the UW staff in 2016 as secondary coach and then took over as defensive coordinator in 2017 have consistently raved about his confidence, and his ability to teach and communicate calmly but forcefully.
No one who covered Leonhard during his playing days was surprised to hear such comments because that is who he was on the field when he was an All-American safety at UW.
In less than two weeks, Leonhard has demonstrated those qualities that served him well as a player and as an assistant remain the foundation of who he is.
That is: A coach who is confident, composed and comfortable running a team and a program.
