The Badgers are staying in-house to fill one of their roles on the staff.
The Wisconsin Badgers have had two openings on their coaching staff over the past few weeks, and one was finally filled on Monday evening, as it was reported that assistant defensive backs coach Jack Cooper was being promoted to fill the vacant safeties coach role.
Well deserved promotion for Jack Cooper.
Worked primarily with the nickels this season and was extremely hands on. Players had a lot of good things to say last offseason.#Badgers https://t.co/bFjpRfbgI3
— Bucky’s 5th Quarter (@B5Q) December 31, 2024
Cooper had been an assistant defensive backs coach and defensive analyst since joining the Badgers back in 2023, coaching two seasons at Wisconsin so far.
He was previously the defensive coordinator at Rhode Island for three seasons before making the move, and is now working his way back up the ladder at Wisconsin.
He replaces Alex Grinch, who left to take a defensive coordinator position with the UCF Knights under new head coach Scott Frost, marking the fourth straight year that a new face will coach the safeties room.
Back in 2022, it was Jim Leonhard in his final year with the program. Then, Colin Hitschler came along for a year under Luke Fickell before he left for the co-defensive coordinator role at Alabama. Then came Grinch after he was fired by the USC Trojans as their defensive coordinator. And now it’s Cooper, who brings coordinator experience of his own to the position.
Cooper had primarily worked with the nickel group this past season and was very hands-on with players during practice.
With Cooper earning the safeties coach role, Wisconsin is down to one major vacancy: their quarterbacks coach.