Wisconsin Badgers fire Paul Chryst, name Jim Leonhard as interim coach

The Wisconsin Badgers have fired their head football coach Paul Chryst, the school announced on Sunday night. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard will be the team’s interim coach.

The move represents a stunning turn of events for Chryst, who won at least 10 games in four of his first five seasons while guiding Wisconsin to three Big Ten championship game appearances during that stretch. But the product on the field steadily declined following the 2019 Rose Bowl campaign.

“After a heartfelt and authentic conversation with Coach Chryst about what is in the long-term best interest of our football program, I have concluded that now is the time for a change in leadership,” said Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh. “Paul is a man of integrity who loves his players. I have great respect and admiration for Paul and the legacy of him and his family at the University of Wisconsin.”

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Wisconsin finished a pandemic-shortened 2020 season 4-3 by rallying to win its final two games. The Badgers were in position to claim the Big Ten West title last season but suffered a 23-13 loss to rival Minnesota in the regular-season finale and went 9-4 overall. Wisconsin opened this season 2-3 and lost all three of its games against Power 5 opponents.

Washington State defeated Wisconsin 17-14 in Week 2 despite the Badgers being 17.