Luke Fickell reportedly has an interest in going a different direction with who he wants to be his DC. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported that Fickell has a different preference in mind over Jim Leonhard.

Instead of Leonhard, Rittenberg is reporting Fickell would like to bring his DC and Co-DC from Cincinnati, Mike Tressel and Colin Hitschler, respectively. This is a bit of a surprise after reports came out that Fickell was open to keeping Leonhard on staff.

Wisconsin fans were hoping that Leonhard would get to stay in Madison in a similar defensive role. If Rittenberg’s reporting holds true, it looks like that’s not going to happen.

Perhaps it would be better for Leonhard to try and land a coaching gig at another school, whether that’s as head coach or defensive coordinator. It’s possible Leonhard makes his case and Fickell retains him as DC, but it would not be surprising to see the long-time DC of the Badgers move elsewhere after missing out on the head coaching position.

Stay tuned for more updates on Fickell and Leonhard.