For those not familiar with Leonhard here is a FANTASTIC article from Eleven Warriors that shows his Defense in practice with Gifs that help show how he attacks different Offensive looks...
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...t-from-jim-leonhards-nfl-inspired-3-4-defense
For those who don't want to read:
Basically he runs a base 3-4 NFL Defense like CNS and others so he would be able to transition to CNS's D easily.
Leonhard is also an Aranda disciple so if you are impressed with his aggressive style at Baylor then you have an idea of what Leonhard does.
Also since Wisconsin has promoted him to DC the Badger defenses have been among the nation's best from 2017 to 2021 ranking:
1st in total yards allowed (284.8 yards per game),
1st in pass efficiency defense (110.5),
1st in opponents' third down conversions (30.5%),
3rd in rushing defense (103.4 ypg), and
3rd in scoring defense (17.3 points per game)
Some Detailed Highlights:
The Badgers like to bring a safety down into the box for run support on the wide side of the field, giving them 8 defenders near the line of scrimmage. With three big-bodied defensive linemen eating up interior blockers and a safety plugging one of the holes, an inside linebacker is often left free to run and make tackles.
Against the pass, the system can often look like straight, man-coverage with a free safety in the middle of the field (known as Cover 1). But in reality, it's a Cover 3 zone with pattern-matching principles, meaning the defenders play the receivers tight once in their zone.
With the back of the defense employing traditional coverages with seven defenders dropping back, that means one of the linebackers can join the three down linemen in their pass rush. On nearly every single snap, one of the four 'backers will be sent on a blitz, but the the offense is forced to guess which one.
When Leonhard began studying the college game with Aranda in 2015, however, it quickly became apparent that this exact approach didn't translate directly to stopping the spread offenses that had become so prevalent at that level. As such, Leonhard incorporated the simulated pressure packages for which Aranda has become known.
Check out the article for more detailed breakdowns with Video Gifs
He would be a massive and I mean MASSIVE upgrade over Golding who honestly should drop down to another level of competition because he is NOT a P5 level DC...maybe not even D1.
Leonhard is one of the BEST in CFB and he has fielded LEGIT Top 3-5 Defenses at Wisconsin with MUCH LESS talent than Golding has had at Alabama.
Please CNS:
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