The Wisconsin Badgers were shocked to learn that Gary Andersen was leaving the school to take the vacant job at Oregon State, but a replacement has apparently been found.
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When Gary Andersen high-tailed it out of Madison and left the Wisconsin Badgers in the crater of a 59-0 loss in the Big Ten title game, there was a lot of anxiety about who would replace him. It’s not that Andersen was a wunderkind that burned the school, but the Badgers are not a small program and the departure was a shock.
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It appears that the Wisconsin Badgers have found their replacement for Andersen though less than 48 hours after he vacated the position. According to Badgers beat writer Jeff Potrykus, the school has reached out to and will be hiring Paul Chryst, who is currently employed by the Pittsburgh Panthers.
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
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
It’s almost fitting that the Badgers are hiring a guy away from a school after having their former head coach hired away from them. It marks the second time in four years that a Badgers coach was hired away, as Brett Bielema left for Arkansas a few years ago which paved the way for Andersen to take the gig.
Chryst isn’t the flashy choice, but then again Jerry Kill was hardly a barn burner of a choice for the Minnesota Gophers when they hired him and he has turned the program into a Big Ten contender. That’s what the Badgers want from Chryst and he’s the guy they think can lead them into 2015 without skipping a beat.
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