What was widely reported last week became reality today as Andy Buh was introduced as the newest linebackers coach for the Badgers. Head Coach Bret Bielema also finished out his defensive staff by moving graduate assistant Ben Strickland up to a full-time assistant. He’ll be assisting with the defensive secondary as well as special teams.
Strickland, a Wisconsin native and former Badger defensive back, spent the past three seasons as a graduate assistant on Bielema’s staff.
“Since I arrived in Madison I’ve been impressed with Ben, first as a player and team captain, then
as a high school coach and for the last three years as a member of our staff,” said Bielema in a statement. “I have watched him grow personally and professionally. He exhibits great leadership and is a tremendous teacher. Our kids really respond to him. I’m thrilled to be able to give Ben his first opportunity at a full-time job.”
Obviously it’s a huge opportunity to a man that grew up a Badgers fan, played for and captained the Badgers on the football field. “When Coach Bielema presented this opportunity to me I was very humbled by it,” Strickland said in a statement.
“To be able to play for my home state school, a school I loved growing up, get my start in coaching here and then bring it full circle and being hired on full-time is a dream come true for me. It’s something I feel very fortunate about and something I have worked hard for. I’m going to continue to work hard and do what’s best for these kids.”
Strickland may be best remembered for his performances on Special Teams. His biggest highlight moment may have been recovering a blocked punt against Minnesota in 2005 completed a comeback of epic proportions. So epic that it was named the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year. He also blocked and recovered a punt in the 2007 Capital One Bowl.
On the other hand Bielema went out of the program in hiring Andy Buh as the new linebackers coach, something that we reported would happen last week. Buh was most recently the defensive coordinator at Nevada, holding that position for the past two seasons. He was also the co-defensive coordinator at Stanford before that.
“I’ve known about Andy for several years and had the chance to visit with him at the coaches’ convention in San Antonio recently,” said Bielema via statement. “I came away very impressed with his teaching ability, his passion and his personality. He brings tremendous experience, being a coordinator at both Nevada and Stanford, and is a dynamic personality. With his wife being an Indiana native, this is a chance for his family to get back to the midwest.”
In the last two years Nevada is 20-7 with Buh as the defensive coordinator, going 12-3 in the WAC.
“Today is a great day,” Buh said in a statement. “I’m very excited and enthused about joining the University of Wisconsin’s football staff. I’m thrilled with this opportunity and can’t wait to hit the field running. Coach Bielema has given me the opportunity of a lifetime and I’m humbled to be a part of his staff. I look forward to every part of this experience and can’t wait to get working.”
With these two hires Wisconsin only has the special teams coordinator and tight end’s coaching positions to fill. Rumor has Dan Campbell a leading candidate for the TE coach should he not be retained by Joe Philbin and the Miami Dolphins.
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