Jim Leonhard Named Wisconsin DC: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

The University of Wisconsin announced Thursday it has named Jim Leonhard as its defensive coordinator.

The 34-year-old joined the program last season as a defensive backs coach. His chance to ascend to coordinator came when California hired Justin Wilcox to be its head coach in January.

This promotion surprised Leonhard, who had no coaching experience before joining the Badgers last year.

"A year ago, if you were to ask me if this was going to happen, I'd probably would have laughed at you—not knowing exactly how it was going to go and how it would work out," he said, per Mike Lucas of the team's official website. "[Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst] brought me in and asked me if I was interested. He thought I was ready and he thought I could handle it. I was excited about the possibility and kind of wanted to see where I was at—if I really wanted to entertain the idea."

A Wisconsin alumnus, Leonhard recorded 21 interceptions as a safety over three seasons in Madison, including a sophomore year in which he picked off 11 passes, per Sports-Reference.com. 

He also returned three punts for touchdowns as one of the program's biggest playmakers during that span. 

Despite going undrafted, he put together a 10-year career in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets and Cleveland Browns before retiring in 2014.

Leonhard will be taking over a Wisconsin defense that ranked 13th in the FBS with 3,939 total yards allowed last year. Its rush defense was even better, ranking fourth in the nation.