The Wisconsin Badgers + Paul Chryst just seems like it’s too good to be true. It’s like the person you’ve always wanted to be with, but the timing was never right. Except a few years down the road you find yourself single and your interest is ready to listen too.
When Bret Bielema left for Arkansas two years ago, Chryst had just moved in to his first head coaching job at Pitt and the timing was all sorts of off — especially for a program that was on its 1,000th head coach in just a few years.
Fast forward two years and Chryst has been at Pitt since the 2012 season and has had time to build a program of his own. It has also gotten us to the point where Chryst wouldn’t be ripping up the Panthers program by leaving.
On Thursday night reports began leaking on Twitter, stating Chryst is on his way to Madison to meet with athletic director Barry Alvarez.
However, Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that not only is the meeting happening, but Chryst will be named the new head coach in short order.
Just talked to source on Paul Chryst, poised to be #Badgers coach: I felt this was the scenario from Day 1. (more)
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) December 12, 2014
Potrykus isn’t the only one reporting this, as Jason Galloway of the Wisconsin State Journal just posted (11:30pm ish on Thursday night) sources indicating that Chryst will be the hire.
The only problem is, officially the university can’t hire him until Dec. 17 when the 14 day waiting period for the job will be met.
Potrykus also went on to give us this information about why Chryst will be a great fit for the Badgers:
More on #Badgers and Chryst: He will put together a good staff. Source believes Chryst can bring Joe Rudolph back.
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) December 12, 2014
Rudolph is seen as a key to helping keep the Badgers on the top of its recruiting game, something that was being elevated in his time as recruiting coordinator at UW and has only continued to grow since he left.
Chryst would come to the Badgers with a 19-19 record at Pitt, and three bowl games in all three years at the program.
While the overall record may not send a lot of confidence to some, the Pitt program was a major overhaul and simply not on the same level of the Wisconsin program in any way. Recruiting to Pitt is difficult, and Chryst did an admirable job of that.
We’ll have much more on this reported hire in the morning, as we break down the ins, outs and everything from his time at UW and as a head coach at Pitt as well.
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