Rumored Colorado football DC hire deemed a major boost to Buffs' game-planning

Essentially Sports' Jyot Singh declared rumored Colorado football defensive coordinator hire Jim Leonhard as a potentially major boost for Coach Prime's defense's preparedness and play-calling moving forward.

"While nothing is confirmed as yet Deion Sanders and the interim HC are in close talks to bring Leonhard into the Buffs’ system," Singh prefaced before saying, "This would be a major boost for Colorado as Leonhard comes with a wealth of experience and could utilize it in finetuning Buffs’ defenses. Moreover, Leonhard is perhaps also looking forward to the role as he has declined NFL positions and even the USC role that was offered to him."

Rivals' Cameron Lee was the first to have the Leonhard scoop, offering the context of the Ladysmith, Wisconsin native turning down offers from the NFL and USC.

"Former Wisconsin DC and interim HC Jim Leonhard is close to joining Deion Sanders to become their new DC at Colorado," Lee prefaced before saying, "No done deal yet, but it is very close. Leonhard has declined NFL DC jobs, and the USC DC job among others."

Jim Leonhard would bring valuable leadership experience to Colorado football

Leonhard would be bringing valuable experience to Boulder if Coach Prime has already signed off on the hiring. In 2022, Wisconsin crashed and burned under long-time head coach Paul Chryst with a 2-3 start but finished 4-3 under Leonhard after he took over on an interim basis; beating Purdue and Maryland in the regular season to make UW-Madison bowl-eligible.

With the notable play-calling switch from Sean Lewis to Pat Shurmur having taken place in 2023, having someone who can adapt to changes on the fly and do well while immersed in chaos. Leonhard is just that, and the Buffs can now shift their attention to recruiting after seemingly filling one of the most important positions on a coaching staff.