Who exactly is Jim Leonhard?
By: Jake Rajala
Jim Leonhard is a legend. He was a walk-on safety for the Wisconsin Badgers. He was undersized, and he wasn’t running a 4.5 40 yard dash. He earned a plethora of playing time with the Badgers. He unleashed 11 interceptions in his sophomore season. Yes, you read that correctly. He followed up his magical second season with several ints in his junior season. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that he’s in the Wisconsin Hall of Fame.
So, Jim was undrafted. His college production wasn’t tempting enough for a team to bring him in on Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft. This didn’t slow him down. The 5’8 defensive back was a solid back-up that would deliver when his name was called. He recorded 14 career ints, 35 pass deflections, and 431 tackles. He was a grinder. He was never a Pro Bowl player, but he did play for 10 years at the pro level!
Jim was also a modest return specialist. He averaged 9.2 yards per punt return.
With that said, Jim took his talents to the coaching ranks after he retired. He went back home to Wisconsin. He was their defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2022. Then he was even their interim head coach in 2022! He branched out with the Denver Broncos afterward. He was their passing game coordinator from 2024 to 2025.
Finally, his hard work and patience paid off. He was recently hired by the Buffalo Bills to be their defensive coordinator. He will be replacing Bobby Babich.
The Bills had an inconsistent defense last season. They ranked 12th in PPG allowed. However, they ranked 26th in sacks and 16th in takeaways. Their secondary was burned when it mattered the most. Joey Bosa wasn’t playing lights out either. I’d like to see them bring in a pass rusher in the first round. Perhaps that will help them finally reach the Super Bowl.
With the persistence that we’ve seen from Jim throughout his coaching and playing career, I expect Jim to be an head coach one day. He is creative and motivating. He is also 43, so he has plenty of time to be promoted.
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