When Gary Anderson suddenly left Wisconsin for Oregon State, it left everyone in the college football world befuddled and confused. The timing and destination was very odd and it left Wisconsin without a coach heading into a bowl game. When it came to finding a replacement, one name that immediately came to mind was former Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst, who is now the head coach at Pitt. Seems like Barry Alvarez had similar thoughts, because there are now reports out saying Chryst will be the next head coach for the Badgers.
Former Wisconsin assistant and current Pittsburgh coach Paul Chryst is poised to become the Badgers’ new head coach, a source confirmed to ESPN.com.
An announcement could come as early as Friday, but one Pitt source told ESPN that as of 8:30 a.m., Chryst had not informed Pitt officials he was leaving.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the news Thursday night, citing a source.Chryst would replace Gary Andersen, who left the Badgersearlier this week after two seasons to take the head-coaching job at Oregon State.
The Journal Sentinel reported that Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, who flew to Tampa, Florida, on Thursday for an Outback Bowl promotion, was able to meet with Chryst.
Chryst is in his third season as Pitt’s coach, with an overall record of 19-19. He was hired in December 2011 to replace Todd Graham, who bolted for Arizona State after less than a year on the job. That made Chryst Pitt’s fourth coach in 13 months, following Dave Wannstedt, Mike Haywood and Graham, who left for the Sun Devils after a 6-6 season.
By hiring Chryst, Wisconsin gets a coach who is familiar with the landscape in Madison and who is also familiar with the team identity of being a ground and pound team. There won’t be any dramatic changes to philosophies at Wisconsin with Chryst, and things should continue as they normally do.