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Former Badger Jim Leonhard joins Brett Bielema at Illinois

Former Badger Jim Leonhard joins Brett Bielema at Illinois

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Former Wisconsin defensive coordinator and interim head coach Jim Leonhard will join the Illinois staff as a senior analyst, coach Bret Bielema announced Tuesday.

Leonard was the Badgers’ defensive coordinator from 2017-22 and served as the interim coach after Paul Chryst was fired Oct. 2 following a 34-10 loss to the Illini. Leonhard led Wisconsin to a 4-3 record the rest of the regular season and expressed hope he would get the permanent job.

Wisconsin hired Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell instead. Leonhard announced on Dec. 6 he wouldn’t be part of Fickell’s staff in 2023, although he stayed on as defensive coordinator for a Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory over Oklahoma State.

TOP PHOTO: FILE – In this Sept. 8, 2018, file photo, Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard watches during the first half of an NCAA college football game against New Mexico in Madison, Wisc. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File); ABOVE: FILE – Illinois head coach Bret Bielema walks off the field following a 34-10 win over Wisconsin in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

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