The Paul Chryst coaching era is over in Madison and there is nothing shocking about it.
This season has been a mess.
First came a home loss to Washington State in week-2 of the season. Later, the Badgers were annihilated by Ohio State (52-21) on national television. Then came Saturday’s lopsided (34-10) loss to an Illinois team coached by former Badgers head Coach Bret Bielema.
At the start of the fourth quarter, half of the student section was cleared as it was apparent there would be no comeback.
Historically, the Wisconsin football program is lauded for making the most of recruiting classes that rank between 30-50 nationally. Chryst has been able to do more with less.
The Badgers 2020 recruiting class ranked 27th in the nation. The 2021 class ranked 16th. Over the last two-plus seasons, Chryst has done less with more.
Why fire him in-season?
Because an internal candidate exists in Defensive Coordinator, Jim Leonhard.
Because Leonhard will be a hot commodity for programs looking for a head coach next season.
Because the 2023 recruiting class needs answers.
Because embarrassing losses and empty seats are a bad combination.
There’s nothing shocking about Chris McIntosh’s first major personnel decision. The decision to fire Chryst is measured and correct.
