Wisconsin Interim Head Coach Jim Leonhard

Leonhard’s name was circulating when other head coaching jobs opened up, but now with him being the interim guy at Wisconsin, it makes sense to just promote him to head coach. He’s Wisconsin through and through. Leonhard was born three hours north of Madison, played for the Badgers in college, and once he retired, he came back to Madison to coach. Leonhard seems like a guy players want to play for and a lot of the players were Paul Chryst fans. This feels like the best move for the program.

Georgia Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken

I mentioned Monken for the Georgia Tech job, but Wisconsin could be a solid fit with his offensive mind. His pro style offense that revolves around the RPO game could prove deadly for BIG Ten defenses. Wisconsin has historically been a ground and pound, 32 personnel squad, but a change could be what they need.

Coastal Carolina Head Coach Jamey Chadwell

While Todd Monken would bring a more arial attack to Madison, while Chadwell would reinvigorate a down hill running scheme. His artistic flare on the triple option attack would set the BIG Ten on fire and make the Badgers a real threat to Michigan and Ohio State. Chadwell has won over the Chanticleers program since taking over and getting the Wisconsin job would be a vertical move as it’ll be his first job at a Power Five program.

Carolina Panthers Head Coach Matt Rhule

Another head coaching job has opened up which means I am once again suggesting Rhule to come back to college. Carolina is 1-3 and will surely fire Rhule by the seasons end. His success at the collegiate level speaks for itself to go with his recruiting classes at both Temple and Baylor. College is where Rhule belongs and Wisconsin could be an interesting fit.

Former Washington Head Coach Chris Petersen

Petersen shocked Washington when he retired abruptly in 2019. Since then he hasn’t coached, but a guy like Petersen who’s been coaching since 1987 has to have the itch to get back into coaching. In his fourteen years of coaching, Petersen has a record of 147-38 and is 7-6 in bowl games. If Chris McIntosh could convince Petersen to come out of retirement or at least take an interview, he’d be a great get for the Badgers. At only 57, I’m sure Petersen has more in the tank.

Kansas Head Coach Lance Leipold

Personally, I don’t think it’ll happen, but Leipold is the hottest commodity in college football. He’s established himself at Kanas through his first two seasons and Wisconsin would be stupid to not reach out. He’s 44-43 at the D1 level and Wisconsin would be lucky to have him on their sideline in 2023. He’ll be the toughest candidate to court, but it’s worth a shot.

Marshall Head Coach Charles Huff

Charles Huff is in his second season as a head coach and currently has a 10-8 career record. It’d be ambitious to hire Huff at Wisconsin, but they should definitely keep his name in their back pocket. He has a tremendous amount of experience with great football minds. He’d be able to add a lot to the Badgers program. In addition, his run first mindset fits the BIG Ten model perfectly.

Air Force Head Coach Troy Calhoun

It’ll be tough to get Calhoun to leave his alma mater, but Wisconsin is an enticing job. In his sixteen years at Air Force, Calhoun is 115-76 with ten seasons over seven wins. His flexbone offense would throw a lot of issues in the direction of BIG Ten defenses and return the Badgers to relevance on offense. He has done a great job recruiting players to Air Force and getting guys to Madison is a much easier sell.