Former Wisconsin interim head coach and accomplished defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard is reportedly heading for the NFL.
According to a report from ESPN, Leonhard will be the new defensive backs coach for Sean Payton and the Broncos.
Leonhard spent this last season at Illinois, where he reunited with Bret Bielema as a senior defensive analyst.
A former Badger standout in the defensive backfield, Leonhard spent time with seven teams in the league before starting his coaching career.
He returned to Madison as defensive backs coach just two seasons after his NFL tenure ended, and spent one season in that role before being promoted to defensive coordinator.
After that first season calling the defense, Leonhard was nominated for the Broyles Award as the Badger defense ranked 3rd nationally in scoring defense.
During his time calling the defense at Wisconsin, the Badgers only once ranked outside of the top 17 teams in scoring defense (2018).
He quickly established himself as one of the game's top defensive coordinators, and stepped into the interim head coach role in 2022 following the in-season dismissal of Paul Chryst. He led the Badgers to a 4-3 mark to end the year, making a solid case to get the nod to the full-time role, but the Badgers ultimately decided to bring Luke Fickell to Madison.
Leonhard initially agreed to stay on board as defensive coordinator, before having a change of heart and ultimately landed in Champaign with Bielema.
The job in Denver will mark Leonhard's first NFL coaching opportunity.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.