Jim Leonhard's final season as a player at Wisconsin was Bret Bielema's first season at the Badgers defensive play caller under Barry Alvarez.
Now the two are reuniting in Champaign.
The Illini announced the addition of the former Wisconsin defensive coordinator and interim head coach today. His title with the program is Senior Football Analyst.
Leonhard went 5-3 last fall as the interim head coach in Madison following the dismissal of Paul Chryst.
Many loyal Wisconsin fans felt he did enough to earn the nod to head coach, but decision makers ultimately decided to hire Luke Fickell from Cincinnati.
Fickell made a pitch to keep Leonhard, and it seemed as if Leonhard was initially willing to stay on board, but he ultimately decided a fresh start somewhere else was best.
He was arguably the most impressive defensive coordinator available once hitting the open market, and now Bielema lands him an accomplished, young veteran Big Ten defensive play caller in the in a key off-field role for the program.
The addition is especially important for Bielema on the heels of losing defensive coordinator Ryan Walters to the head coaching opportunity at Purdue, where he has put together one of the most impressive new staffs heading into this fall.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.