Next Badgers Football Coach

Mark87

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Let's throw Jim L out of the mix here. He's known. My contender's list is as follows with a brief BIO. Remember they have to fit a certain narrative and budget.

1. Lance Leipold HC Kansas ~ The obvious native son. The timing is right because KS hasn't wrapped him up into anything long-term and there are a lot of folks looking his way...still to come home again gives UW an edge. ( Yes Pack they can afford him and his staff, ran the numbers)

Leipold was born in Jefferson, Wisconsin, and attended Jefferson High School.[5] He played quarterback, earning all-area honors and honorable mention all-state his senior year after completing 114 of 198 passes for 1,848 yards and 19 touchdowns.[6][7] Due to the team's prolific passing game, they earned the nickname "Air Jefferson."[8] Leipold played in the North-South All-State Shrine Bowl throwing for two touchdowns in the South's 23–7 victory.[9] He was also all-conference in basketball.[8]

Leipold attended the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater from 1983 to 1986, seeing playing time as a starter and backup his first two seasons and becoming the outright starter for his junior and senior seasons. He helped win the Wisconsin State University Athletic Conference championship in 1984. In a 35–28 loss to Wisconsin–River Falls, Leipold set school records for single game passing yards, attempts, completions, and total offense with his 37 completions on 57 passes for 474 yards and four touchdowns, all records still stand. Following his graduation from Wisconsin–Whitewater in 1987, Leipold spent the next seven years as an assistant coach, starting at his alma mater from 1987 to 1988, and then again in 1990. He spent one year (1989) at Doane University, an NAIA school in Crete, Nebraska, and three (1991–1993) as a graduate assistant at the University of Wisconsin.[14] During his first stint at Wisconsin–Whitewater he overlapped with Roger Hughes, future head coach at Stetson University, president of Doane University, and a life-long friend.[15]

Leipold was announced as the head coach at Wisconsin–Whitewater after the 2006 season, Leipold left Wisconsin–Whitewater with an overall record of 109–6 and a conference mark of 53–3 . He earned six Division III National Championships and seven WIAC championships in eight seasons. Other than the 2012 season, his teams were never ranked below No. 15 in any D3football.com poll. The 2010, 2011, and 2014 teams were ranked No 1 throughout the season. On December 1, 2014, it was announced that Leipold had agreed to become the head football coach at the University at Buffalo.Leipold left Buffalo with a record of 37–33, two MAC East Division titles, three bowl bids and two bowl wins.

2. Jake Dickert, HC Washington State. Here is another native son that works but he also brings in a completely different perspective. Could 100% smooze the supper club circuit and WFCA. He might be a guy Chris M falls in love with quickly.

Dickert began his high school career at Oconto High School in Oconto, Wisconsin.[2] His father, Jeffrey Dickert, was the superintendent of the Oconto School District. The family moved to Kohler, Wisconsin, for Jake's senior year after Jeffrey took the job of superintendent there, and Jake finished his high school career at Kohler High School.

The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, then coached by John Miech, recruited Dickert to play quarterback, where he backed up future Canadian Football League player Scott Krause. He converted to wide receiver for the 2005 season. His senior year in 2006 was interrupted by a case of appendicitis, but he returned to the playing field two weeks after surgery. Dickert's seven receptions per game that year led the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and he was named to the second team all-conference.

Dickert graduated from Stevens Point in 2007 and joined Miech's staff as a graduate assistant for a year. He then moved to North Dakota State for the 2008 season, also as a graduate assistant. Head coach Craig Bohl promoted him to safeties' coach in 2009.[7][8] He left in 2011 to become special teams coordinator at South Dakota under Ed Meierkort, in what turned out to be his last year as head coach. Dickert replaced Chuck Morrell, who had left to become the head coach at Montana Tech.[9]

South Dakota fired Meierkort after the 2011 season.[10] Dickert spent a year on Tony Samuel's staff at Southeast Missouri State coaching defensive backs before returning to the state of South Dakota in 2013 to become defensive coordinator at Augustana University under first-year head coach Jerry Olszewski. Under Dickert, Augustana ranked third in total defense in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, and at the end of the season, Minnesota State hired him away to become defensive coordinator there.[11][12]

Dickert coached the defense for the 2014 and 2015 seasons under head coach Todd Hoffner. Minnesota State compiled a 24–3 record over those two seasons, including losing the 2014 NCAA Division II Football Championship to CSU–Pueblo. After two successful seasons, Dickert departed to become safeties coach at South Dakota State under long-time head coach John Stiegelmeier and defensive coordinator Clint Brown.[7] Dickert departed after the 2016 season to become safeties coach at the University of Wyoming. The move reunited him with Craig Bohl, now Wyoming's head coach but previously the head coach at North Dakota State from 2003 to 2013.[13] In 2019, Wyoming promoted Dickert to defensive coordinator after Scottie Hazelton departed for the same job at Kansas State.[14]

In 2020, Dickert received his first Power Five coaching position when he was hired as defensive coordinator by new Washington State head coach Nick Rolovich. Wyoming assistants AJ Cooper and John Richardson accompanied Dickert in his move to Pullman.[15] In October 2021, Washington State fired Rolovich and four assistant coaches, including Richardson, for refusing to comply with the state's COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Dickert then took over as acting head coach.[16] On November 27, 2021, Washington State announced the naming of Dickert as their permanent head coach.

3. Dave Aranda HC Baylor. His name is out there but $ is an issue. Won't bother with a bio.

4. Matt Campbell HC Iowa State, Would LOVE to get him, again not sure we have the pockets to even sniff him.

5. Sean Lewis HC Kent State. Former Badger player that fits in terms of $. Would give UW a facelift on offense.

A tight end and quarterback at Wisconsin, Lewis was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection under Alvarez. Current Wisconsin Badger head coach Paul Chryst served as his offensive coordinator and position coach.

Lewis’ coaching career began as the offensive coordinator for his alma mater, Richards High School in Illinois. Richards was led by veteran Gary Korhonen, who earned National High School Coach of the Year honors from both the National Football Hall of Fame and the National High School Coaches Association. Lewis transitioned to the college level in 2010 as tight ends coach at Division II Nebraska Omaha. He made his first MAC stop in 2011 as a graduate assistant for Akron. Lewis brought an extensive coaching résumé to Kent State and has been one of the fastest-rising coaches in the nation over the last decade. He came to the Golden Flashes after serving as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Dino Babers at Syracuse.

Other Names:

Dave Doeren
Darrell Bevall
Chris Klieman

At this time and after some thought really like the fit with Jake Dickert, he checks a lot of boxes and at 39 brings energy to the program. He breaks the BA cycle but has the in-state connections for it to not be that big of a deal.

Don't blow off Sean Lewis at all!
 
Let's throw Jim L out of the mix here. He's known. My contender's list is as follows with a brief BIO. Remember they have to fit a certain narrative and budget.

1. Lance Leipold HC Kansas ~ The obvious native son. The timing is right because KS hasn't wrapped him up into anything long-term and there are a lot of folks looking his way...still to come home again gives UW an edge. ( Yes Pack they can afford him and his staff, ran the numbers)

Leipold was born in Jefferson, Wisconsin, and attended Jefferson High School.[5] He played quarterback, earning all-area honors and honorable mention all-state his senior year after completing 114 of 198 passes for 1,848 yards and 19 touchdowns.[6][7] Due to the team's prolific passing game, they earned the nickname "Air Jefferson."[8] Leipold played in the North-South All-State Shrine Bowl throwing for two touchdowns in the South's 23–7 victory.[9] He was also all-conference in basketball.[8]

Leipold attended the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater from 1983 to 1986, seeing playing time as a starter and backup his first two seasons and becoming the outright starter for his junior and senior seasons. He helped win the Wisconsin State University Athletic Conference championship in 1984. In a 35–28 loss to Wisconsin–River Falls, Leipold set school records for single game passing yards, attempts, completions, and total offense with his 37 completions on 57 passes for 474 yards and four touchdowns, all records still stand. Following his graduation from Wisconsin–Whitewater in 1987, Leipold spent the next seven years as an assistant coach, starting at his alma mater from 1987 to 1988, and then again in 1990. He spent one year (1989) at Doane University, an NAIA school in Crete, Nebraska, and three (1991–1993) as a graduate assistant at the University of Wisconsin.[14] During his first stint at Wisconsin–Whitewater he overlapped with Roger Hughes, future head coach at Stetson University, president of Doane University, and a life-long friend.[15]

Leipold was announced as the head coach at Wisconsin–Whitewater after the 2006 season, Leipold left Wisconsin–Whitewater with an overall record of 109–6 and a conference mark of 53–3 . He earned six Division III National Championships and seven WIAC championships in eight seasons. Other than the 2012 season, his teams were never ranked below No. 15 in any D3football.com poll. The 2010, 2011, and 2014 teams were ranked No 1 throughout the season. On December 1, 2014, it was announced that Leipold had agreed to become the head football coach at the University at Buffalo.Leipold left Buffalo with a record of 37–33, two MAC East Division titles, three bowl bids and two bowl wins.

2. Jake Dickert, HC Washington State. Here is another native son that works but he also brings in a completely different perspective. Could 100% smooze the supper club circuit and WFCA. He might be a guy Chris M falls in love with quickly.

Dickert began his high school career at Oconto High School in Oconto, Wisconsin.[2] His father, Jeffrey Dickert, was the superintendent of the Oconto School District. The family moved to Kohler, Wisconsin, for Jake's senior year after Jeffrey took the job of superintendent there, and Jake finished his high school career at Kohler High School.

The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, then coached by John Miech, recruited Dickert to play quarterback, where he backed up future Canadian Football League player Scott Krause. He converted to wide receiver for the 2005 season. His senior year in 2006 was interrupted by a case of appendicitis, but he returned to the playing field two weeks after surgery. Dickert's seven receptions per game that year led the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and he was named to the second team all-conference.

Dickert graduated from Stevens Point in 2007 and joined Miech's staff as a graduate assistant for a year. He then moved to North Dakota State for the 2008 season, also as a graduate assistant. Head coach Craig Bohl promoted him to safeties' coach in 2009.[7][8] He left in 2011 to become special teams coordinator at South Dakota under Ed Meierkort, in what turned out to be his last year as head coach. Dickert replaced Chuck Morrell, who had left to become the head coach at Montana Tech.[9]

South Dakota fired Meierkort after the 2011 season.[10] Dickert spent a year on Tony Samuel's staff at Southeast Missouri State coaching defensive backs before returning to the state of South Dakota in 2013 to become defensive coordinator at Augustana University under first-year head coach Jerry Olszewski. Under Dickert, Augustana ranked third in total defense in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, and at the end of the season, Minnesota State hired him away to become defensive coordinator there.[11][12]

Dickert coached the defense for the 2014 and 2015 seasons under head coach Todd Hoffner. Minnesota State compiled a 24–3 record over those two seasons, including losing the 2014 NCAA Division II Football Championship to CSU–Pueblo. After two successful seasons, Dickert departed to become safeties coach at South Dakota State under long-time head coach John Stiegelmeier and defensive coordinator Clint Brown.[7] Dickert departed after the 2016 season to become safeties coach at the University of Wyoming. The move reunited him with Craig Bohl, now Wyoming's head coach but previously the head coach at North Dakota State from 2003 to 2013.[13] In 2019, Wyoming promoted Dickert to defensive coordinator after Scottie Hazelton departed for the same job at Kansas State.[14]

In 2020, Dickert received his first Power Five coaching position when he was hired as defensive coordinator by new Washington State head coach Nick Rolovich. Wyoming assistants AJ Cooper and John Richardson accompanied Dickert in his move to Pullman.[15] In October 2021, Washington State fired Rolovich and four assistant coaches, including Richardson, for refusing to comply with the state's COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Dickert then took over as acting head coach.[16] On November 27, 2021, Washington State announced the naming of Dickert as their permanent head coach.

3. Dave Aranda HC Baylor. His name is out there but $ is an issue. Won't bother with a bio.

4. Matt Campbell HC Iowa State, Would LOVE to get him, again not sure we have the pockets to even sniff him.

5. Sean Lewis HC Kent State. Former Badger player that fits in terms of $. Would give UW a facelift on offense.

A tight end and quarterback at Wisconsin, Lewis was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection under Alvarez. Current Wisconsin Badger head coach Paul Chryst served as his offensive coordinator and position coach.

Lewis’ coaching career began as the offensive coordinator for his alma mater, Richards High School in Illinois. Richards was led by veteran Gary Korhonen, who earned National High School Coach of the Year honors from both the National Football Hall of Fame and the National High School Coaches Association. Lewis transitioned to the college level in 2010 as tight ends coach at Division II Nebraska Omaha. He made his first MAC stop in 2011 as a graduate assistant for Akron. Lewis brought an extensive coaching résumé to Kent State and has been one of the fastest-rising coaches in the nation over the last decade. He came to the Golden Flashes after serving as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Dino Babers at Syracuse.

Other Names:

Dave Doeren
Darrell Bevall
Chris Klieman

At this time and after some thought really like the fit with Jake Dickert, he checks a lot of boxes and at 39 brings energy to the program. He breaks the BA cycle but has the in-state connections for it to not be that big of a deal.

Don't blow off Sean Lewis at all!
Good list. Dickert makes the most sense to me. Nothing against Leipold but I would prefer youth.
 
That's a good list. Once again, look at all those ex-Badgers on it. Considering the Badgers have found the money to get rid of Chryst, I'm going to assume there are also alumni out there to make sure that the new HC is going to make the money he wants. But, only if it's someone that they approve of. That alone could be a sticking point, but maybe not. We're gonna see, aren't we?

If I was ranking them in order that I see them picked? Not by my choice, but my perception.

1. Leipold - Track record for turning programs around and developing recruiting. Forget the age. They don't want a guy who can be there for 30 years.

2. Leonhard - Same-o, same-o. The culture wouldn't change, the face would. Could help for a few years, than back to the skids.

3. Lewis - Infusing a brand new offense and continuing to push defense, and you could have a darned good product. I think it depends on money, and the willingness to spend in recruiting to get him on board. Then there's a question of how he'd mesh with leadership. He's a strong willed you man.

4. Dave Aranda - This guy would bring the D. I'm positive he'd find a darned good offensive coordinator. He'd be my top pick, if the alumni bring the cash to get him on board. That said, the purists inside UW might find it offensive that a coach made as much money as he would.

5. Toss up between Doeren and Bevell. Both bring a lot of good things to the table, but we have to question if they would be able to change the culture.

My personal pick would be Aranda. He's the guy who created the defense that Leonhard inherited. He's the guy with the biggest future in the game, in my opinion. If they give him the tools, he could make the Badgers a top 10 contender every year.

Anyhow, my pick is in. :)
 
That's a good list. Once again, look at all those ex-Badgers on it. Considering the Badgers have found the money to get rid of Chryst, I'm going to assume there are also alumni out there to make sure that the new HC is going to make the money he wants. But, only if it's someone that they approve of. That alone could be a sticking point, but maybe not. We're gonna see, aren't we?

If I was ranking them in order that I see them picked? Not by my choice, but my perception.

1. Leipold - Track record for turning programs around and developing recruiting. Forget the age. They don't want a guy who can be there for 30 years.

2. Leonhard - Same-o, same-o. The culture wouldn't change, the face would. Could help for a few years, than back to the skids.

3. Lewis - Infusing a brand new offense and continuing to push defense, and you could have a darned good product. I think it depends on money, and the willingness to spend in recruiting to get him on board. Then there's a question of how he'd mesh with leadership. He's a strong willed you man.

4. Dave Aranda - This guy would bring the D. I'm positive he'd find a darned good offensive coordinator. He'd be my top pick, if the alumni bring the cash to get him on board. That said, the purists inside UW might find it offensive that a coach made as much money as he would.

5. Toss up between Doeren and Bevell. Both bring a lot of good things to the table, but we have to question if they would be able to change the culture.

My personal pick would be Aranda. He's the guy who created the defense that Leonhard inherited. He's the guy with the biggest future in the game, in my opinion. If they give him the tools, he could make the Badgers a top 10 contender every year.

Anyhow, my pick is in. :)
Note on Lewis, he is making 400k a year at Kent State. It sounds awful but if UW is in a $ bind he comes with an affordable price tag.
 
That's a good list. Once again, look at all those ex-Badgers on it. Considering the Badgers have found the money to get rid of Chryst, I'm going to assume there are also alumni out there to make sure that the new HC is going to make the money he wants. But, only if it's someone that they approve of. That alone could be a sticking point, but maybe not. We're gonna see, aren't we?

If I was ranking them in order that I see them picked? Not by my choice, but my perception.

1. Leipold - Track record for turning programs around and developing recruiting. Forget the age. They don't want a guy who can be there for 30 years.

2. Leonhard - Same-o, same-o. The culture wouldn't change, the face would. Could help for a few years, than back to the skids.

3. Lewis - Infusing a brand new offense and continuing to push defense, and you could have a darned good product. I think it depends on money, and the willingness to spend in recruiting to get him on board. Then there's a question of how he'd mesh with leadership. He's a strong willed you man.

4. Dave Aranda - This guy would bring the D. I'm positive he'd find a darned good offensive coordinator. He'd be my top pick, if the alumni bring the cash to get him on board. That said, the purists inside UW might find it offensive that a coach made as much money as he would.

5. Toss up between Doeren and Bevell. Both bring a lot of good things to the table, but we have to question if they would be able to change the culture.

My personal pick would be Aranda. He's the guy who created the defense that Leonhard inherited. He's the guy with the biggest future in the game, in my opinion. If they give him the tools, he could make the Badgers a top 10 contender every year.

Anyhow, my pick is in. :)
My pick is Dickert. 39 years old, ties to the state and probably gets the base motivated

Aranda is fine but from reports his buyout is “significant” so that’s probably not happening
 
Note on Lewis, he is making 400k a year at Kent State. It sounds awful but if UW is in a $ bind he comes with an affordable price tag.
Not awful just fact. Paying $ for PC buyout plus new HC salary they won’t break the bank
 
First name I thought of is Lance Leipold. Guy has done nothing but win at every single level.

Dominated at Whitewater, moved to UB and takes it from nowhere to bowl games. Goes to Kansas and has them go from a joke to ranked in the top 25 in two years.

From WI and likely a dream job for him - If he wants it.

Has a history recruiting at a disadvantage and developing QBs. Definitely had the "personality." Seems too perfect but I'm not a huge CFB guy.
 
Note on Lewis, he is making 400k a year at Kent State. It sounds awful but if UW is in a $ bind he comes with an affordable price tag.
Yeah looking at Lance's current deal he's over $2 million a year with UW paying PC they might not want another guy they have to pay at least 3-4 million a year.
 
The next HC might also be offered an escalating contract with certain guarantees. As an example;

2003 - $1,500,000
2004 - $3,000,000
2005 - $4,500,000
Just an example. Figures could be any amount, as long as they stipulated it would all be guaranteed.
 
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