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Green Bay Packers: Badgers Jim Leonhard to Interview for DC Opening

By Paul Bretl

June 31, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard during training camp at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK
June 31, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard during training camp at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY NETWORK /
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Well, Green Bay Packers fans, many of you got your wish. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported this morning that there are five new candidates who will be interviewing for the Defensive Coordinator position, and one of them is Wisconsin Badgers’ Defensive Coordinator Jim Leonhard.

Leonhard had a 10 year NFL career of his own, where he played under Rex Ryan, and you guessed it, Mike Pettine for many of those years. He became the Badgers defensive backs coach in 2016 and has also been the defensive coordinator since 2017.

Leonhard uses a similar 3-4 style defense that Pettine deployed, so there would certainly be some familiarity with it here in Green Bay. During his tenure as Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator, the Badgers have regularly fielded one of the top defenses in the nation.

In three of Leonhard’s four years at the helm, the Badger defense has finished top-10 in points per game allowed and as high as second in 2017. In terms of yards per game allowed, the Badgers were top-10 in three of the last four years as well.

Under Leonhard, the Badgers have put several linebackers and edge-rushers in the NFL as he’s helped build and develop a stout front seven in Madison. On top of that, as a former NFL safety himself, Leonhard’s ability to work with members of the secondary is held in high regard.

At 38 years old, Leonhard is one of the up and comers in college football. Each year his name is mentioned among head coaching openings at the college level, and last offseason, he drew interest from Sean McVay for the Los Angeles Rams Defensive Coordinator opening that eventually went to Brandon Staley.

As a Badger fan, I would hate to see Leonhard leave, but as a Packer fan, I’d be happy to see him coming up to Green Bay—his track record as a coach and developing talent speaks for itself.

The other candidates who will be interviewing for the opening include Chris Kiffin, Ryan Nielsen, Matt Burke, and Jerry Gray. According to Demovsky, the Green Bay Packers have already interviewed Joe Barry, Chris Harris, Ejiro Evero, and Bob Sutton.

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