Wisconsin has become the latest Big Ten West program to make a mid-season coaching change.
The university announced Sunday that Paul Chryst, the Badgers' head coach since 2015, was out after the team's 2-3 start to the season. Defensive coordinaor Jim Leonhard takes over as interim coach.
The Sporting News takes a look at what prompted Chryst's firing and reviews his time in Madison.
MORE: Updated college football rankings after Week 5
Why did Wisconsin fire Paul Chryst?
The Badgers have not publicly said why their coach of the past eight seasons is out, but a few factors almost certainly contributed to his ouster.
Wisconsin found moderate success under Chryst but had yet to take the next step in the college football world. The Badgers won the Big Ten West three times under Chryst (2016, 2017 and 2019), but lost to Penn State in 2016 and Ohio State in both 2017 and 2019 in the conference championship game.
The Badgers went 67-26 (43-18 Big Ten) under Chryst, racking up the 11th-most wins among FBS teams during that span.
BENDER: Don't expect to see an unbeaten team in 2022
But the program appeared to have plateaued after early success in Chryst's coaching tenure. The Badgers were ranked in the top five of the Associated Press poll at some point in each season between his second and fourth years, but over the past two seasons they have yet to rank higher than 12th. And after losing seven games combined over Chryst's first three years, the Badgers have lost seven since the start of the 2021 season.
The 2022 campaign has been particularly dismal. The Badgers began it ranked 18th in the nation but lost its second game of the season 17-14 to Washington State and later suffered back-to-back blowouts against Ohio State (52-21) and Illinois (34-10) to open Big Ten play. The 31-point loss to the Buckeyes tied for the worst in the Chryst era, matched only by the 38-7 defeat at the hands of Ohio State in 2019.
The 24-point defeat to the Illini was Chryst's worst loss at Wisconsin to a Big Ten West opponent. Illinois is coached by Chryst's predecessor in Madison, Bret Bielema.
Paul Chryst coaching record
Chryst had a solid run at Wisconsin, but the program was expected to take the next step. Chryst fell short, winning nothing more than the West division.
Here is his year-by-year record at Wisconsin, including his Big Ten record.
| Year | Record (Big Ten) |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 10-3 (6-2) |
| 2016 | 11-3 (7-2) |
| 2017 | 13-1 (9-0) |
| 2018 | 8-5 (5-4) |
| 2019 | 10-4 (7-2) |
| 2020 | 4-3 (3-3) |
| 2021 | 9-4 (6-3) |
| 2022 | 2-3 (0-2) |
Paul Chryst contract
Chryst was signed to a contract extension at the end of the 2021 season. The deal was intended to keep him in Madison through Jan. 31, 2027, according to Wisconsin.
The firing means a major buyout of Chryst. According to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, Chryst is owed $16.4 million if he is fired without cause.
MORE: College Football Playoff picture after Week 5
Who is Jim Leonhard, the replacement for Paul Chryst?
The Badgers are giving a rising coordinator a shot to prove he's ready to be a head coach full time.
Leonhard, 39, has been the Badgers' defensive coordinator since 2017. He was hired in 2016 as defensive backs coach and promoted a year later.
A look at Wisconsin's total defense (yards per game) and scoring defense (points per game), with FBS ranks, since Leonhard took over as defensive coordinator:
| Total defense (FBS rank) | Scoring defense (FBS rank) | |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 262.1 (2nd) | 13.9 (3rd) |
| 2018 | 344.2 (29th) | 22.6 (34th) |
| 2019 | 287.1 (4th) | 16.9 (10th) |
| 2020 | 299.9 (5th) | 17.4 (T-9th) |
| 2021 | 235.3 (1st) | 16.2 (4th) |
Leonhard spent three seasons with the Badgers as a defensive back and was a three-time All-American. He intercepted 21 passes in his collegiate career.
He played 10 seasons in the NFL after signing as an undrafted free agent. He spent four seasons with the Bills, three with the Jets and one each with the Ravens, Browns and Broncos. For his career, he registered 14 interceptions, 35 passes defended, three forced fumbles, five recovered fumbles, 4.5 sacks, 332 solo tackles, 99 assisted tackles and 17 tackles for loss.
