This story was updated to add new information.
Here is a sentence that should not surprise Wisconsin football fans: Badgers program legend Jim Leonhard is quietly becoming a hot name in NFL circles.
The current Denver Broncos defensive backs coach is beginning to be mentioned as a rising figure who could take a defensive coordinator job this hiring cycle.
Related: Where Paul Chryst, Jim Leonhard, Wisconsin football’s entire 2022 coaching staff is now
Leonhard currently leads a Broncos secondary that ranks No. 5 in the NFL in quarterback rating allowed, No. 2 in passing yards per attempt, No. 6 in passing yards allowed and No. 6 in interceptions through five weeks.
That group is led by all-world cornerback Patrick Surtain II, but isn’t top-down full of superstars. Other starters in the group are third-year CB Ja’Quan McMillian, second-year CB Riley Moss (via Iowa), and safeties P.J. Locke and Brandon Jones. Leonhard has the group playing like one of the best in the NFL.
“Secondary coach Jim Leonhard, a former Broncos player and defensive coordinator at Wisconsin, has been getting rave reviews from his players and the staff,” Russini wrote. “So as we get closer to discussing the new batch of future NFL coordinators in the coming months, remember you read about Leonhard right here.”
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) October 6, 2024
Former Wisconsin quarterback and current Yahoo Sports and NFL Network analyst Nate Tice agrees with the sentiment. He called Leonhard ‘a major character’ in the NFL this season, both due to his coaching job in Denver and to the large collection of former Badger defenders dominating across the league.
Jim Leonhard has emerged as a major character this NFL season https://t.co/kvUR06nFSD
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) October 6,…
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