Jim Leonhard may be focused on building a defense in Buffalo, but his latest move has quietly sent a ripple through Madison - and Wisconsin fans have every reason to smile.
Leonhard, now part of the Buffalo Bills’ coaching staff, is bringing in Bobby April III as his new outside linebackers coach. On paper, it’s a solid NFL hire.
But here’s where it gets interesting: April had just been hired by Minnesota this offseason. That’s right - he never even coached a snap for the Golden Gophers before heading to Orchard Park.
So not only does Leonhard land a trusted coaching ally, but he also poaches him from a Big Ten rival before spring ball even begins. That’s a double win for Badger Nation.
April’s résumé speaks for itself. He spent the last three years as Stanford’s defensive coordinator, and before that, he was a key piece of the Wisconsin defensive staff under Paul Chryst, working as the outside linebackers coach and run game coordinator.
During that five-year stretch in Madison, April worked closely with Leonhard, who was then the Badgers’ defensive coordinator. Their connection runs deep, and now it’s being rekindled at the NFL level.
This isn’t April’s first rodeo with the Bills either. He was a defensive assistant in Buffalo from 2015 to 2016, so he’s familiar with the organization.
But this time around, he returns with more experience, a broader playbook, and a deeper understanding of how to develop talent - especially at the linebacker position. That’s a big plus for a Bills defense looking to retool under Leonhard’s guidance.
For Minnesota, it’s a frustrating twist. They brought April in from Stanford to bolster their defensive staff, only to lose him before he even unpacked his bags.
Head coach P.J. Fleck is now back to square one in his search for a defensive line coach, and the timing couldn’t be worse as offseason prep ramps up.
Meanwhile, Leonhard’s approach to building his NFL staff is starting to show a clear pattern: he’s leaning heavily on familiar faces from his Wisconsin days. April is just the latest example, but there’s already buzz that Leonhard may look to bring in another former Badger assistant, Jay Valai. If that happens, it would further cement the idea that Leonhard is building a coaching tree rooted in Madison - even if it’s now branching out in Buffalo.
And while Leonhard probably isn’t thinking about the Badgers as he assembles his NFL staff, his hires are inadvertently giving Wisconsin a boost. Every time a former Badger coach lands in the NFL, it raises the program’s profile. It reinforces the idea that Wisconsin isn’t just producing players - it’s developing top-tier coaching talent, too.
So, whether intentional or not, Leonhard’s latest move is a win for Buffalo, a loss for Minnesota, and an unexpected W for Wisconsin.