Wisconsin has had a successful offseason so far, and on Thursday, its coaching staff grew with the addition of a new co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach.

Paul Haynes joined the Badgers following a three-year stint with Minnesota where he helped lead the Golden Gophers to the third-ranked defense in 2021. Before his run with Minnesota, he coached at Michigan State, Kent State and Ohio State.

Last season, Haynes helped lead Minnesota to a respectable 9-4 season where the Golden Gophers allowed just 13.85 opponent points per game on the year.

Wisconsin knows Haynes well, having coached against him for several seasons. Now, they have him on their sideline.

“I’ve obviously coached against the Badgers a number of times and it’s a program I have great respect for,” Haynes said in a statement. “I can’t wait to get to work with our players.”

Haynes is looking to help Wisconsin return to national prominence after a few years of struggling. The Badgers brought in new head coach Luke Fickell in December after firing head coach Paul Chryst earlier in the season and finishing with a 7-6 record in 2022.

Wisconsin is now playing the transfer portal game, picking up some much-needed players out of the portal while continuing to recruit throughout the offseason.