Badgers officially name Longo offensive coordinator, Tressel defensive coordinator

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Badgers have made it official and named Mike Tressel the team’s new defensive coordinator and Phil Longo the offensive coordinator.

New head coach Luke Fickell brought Tressel to Madison from Cincinnati, where they had worked together previously.

Tressel previously worked as Fickell’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the past two years. He is the son of former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel.

He saw six players from his defense picked in the 2022 NFL Draft, including cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner going #4 overall to the New York Jets. Cincinnati’s defense ranked 5th in the country in scoring defense in 2021, holding opponents to 16.5 points per game. The unit also ranked 10th in the country in total defense, limiting offenses to 318.4 total yards per game.

Before joining Fickell’s staff in Cincinnati, Tressel worked as Michigan State’s linebackers coach from 2007 to 2019 and as the Spartans’ defense coordinator from 2016 through 2019. He coached Michigan State’s safeties during the 2020 season. He was also a nominee for the Broyles Award in 2018, which honors college football’s top assistant coach.

The team’s announcement comes one week after Jim Leonhard’s last game with the Badgers. The longtime defensive coordinator was elevated to interim head coach following Paul Chryst’s ouster earlier in the season. After Fickell was named head coach, Leonhard announced he would leave the team.

Longo joins the Badgers after most recently serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at North Carolina for the past four seasons.

“I’m extremely excited for our players and our program to add Phil and Mike,” Fickell said in a news release. “I’ve built a relationship with Phil over the past six years and am happy to finally be able to work side-by-side with him. He’s a very innovative and well-rounded football coach. He’s a tremendous person and family man and truly cares about his players. I’ve known Mike for 20 years and he is a great coach and person. He has incredible experience, including a terrific background in the Big Ten. Over the last two years coaching together I was impressed with his ability to adapt both as a coach on the field and to the culture of a program. We are very fortunate to have both Phil and Mike on staff.”

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