PHOENIX — Wisconsin’s trophy ceremony was nearly complete following a 24-17 victory against Oklahoma State in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl when Luke Fickell stopped the proceedings to make one more announcement. Fickell had been the Badgers’ new coach for a grand total of 30 days and felt this celebratory moment late Tuesday night should be shared with the man who helped bridge the gap during one of the most tumultuous Wisconsin football seasons in recent memory.

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So, Fickell called defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard onto the stage set up inside Chase Field for one final send-off to acknowledge the work of a beloved Badger in his last game on the Wisconsin sideline. Leonhard jogged up the steps, hoisted the trophy and reluctantly soaked up the brief spotlight as applause thundered from players, who would give him a Gatorade bath.

“I think he should’ve been up there from the get-go, to be honest with you,” Fickell said afterward. “Three and a half weeks, I don’t know that that’s enough time to stand up there. I tried not to grab the trophy. This isn’t me.

“But I thought it was really important. I thought it was important for him to be recognized, and I wanted to make sure I said more than anything that I appreciate what he’s done for me and how he’s handled the last few weeks. I’ve got the utmost respect not just for him, but what this place really means. It showed me a lot.”

Luke Fickell calls Jim Leonhard up to the podium in his final game as Wisconsin's defensive coordinator. Really cool moment.

— Jesse Temple (@jessetemple) December 28, 2022

Leonhard, the former three-time All-American Badgers safety, devoted the last seven years of his life to Wisconsin football as an assistant coach, one as the defensive backs coach and the next six running the entire defense. He established himself as a rising star in the profession and, after athletic director Chris McIntosh fired head coach Paul Chryst five games into this season, was promoted to interim coach with what appeared to be an excellent opportunity to earn the full-time job.

But that’s not how the story played out. McIntosh instead hired the more experienced Fickell, who went 57-18 at Cincinnati and led the Bearcats to the College Football Playoff last year. Leonhard was so highly regarded at Wisconsin that Fickell offered him a job on his staff for next season, even though Fickell already had brought defensive coordinator Mike Tressel with him from Cincinnati. Leonhard ultimately chose to serve as Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator for the bowl game but move on at the completion of the season, announcing his decision Dec. 6 on Twitter.

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Leonhard had not commented publicly since coaching Wisconsin in its regular-season finale against Minnesota on Nov. 26, a day before Fickell was hired. But as he finished posing for photos after the game with his parents, wife and three sons — and with the end of his tenure having arrived — he briefly spoke to a few reporters on the field.

“I came back to finish this off for the guys,” Leonhard said. “To see them really from day one in the prep and how serious they were taking it, they wanted to finish it off the right way and didn’t know if that was going to be the case. So I was excited for them.”

Leonhard’s demeanor was somber. It was apparent, even in the words he didn’t use, that the outcome of being passed over for the job stings and likely will for quite some time. He was asked how strongly he considered coming back and whether the decision to move on was difficult.

“I had some conversations,” Leonhard said. “But I felt there was other things that happened that forced me to make the decision to move on. I’m excited for the future, whatever that is. I’m not in a rush to make that decision right now. I’m truly focused on finishing it off and being able to move on with a clear conscience.”

Leonhard has been the subject of potential job openings this offseason, as he was in previous years while still on Wisconsin’s staff — which included him turning down the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator job in February 2021 — but so far has not made a move.

“I’ve had a lot of conversations with people,” Leonhard said. “There’s been nothing at this point where I felt like I needed to take, and that’s kind of where I’m at right now.”

Wisconsin players praised the way the outgoing staff handled the bowl preparations as Fickell largely observed and spent the weeks in a holding pattern before he could announce his new coaches. Fickell was on the sideline Tuesday but left the game-planning up to Leonhard and offensive coordinator Bobby Engram. Leonhard played a big part in ensuring the transition was as smooth as possible while making sure his defense was ready to meet the challenge.

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Oklahoma State took a 7-3 first-quarter lead when receiver Stephon Johnson Jr. caught a short pass from quarterback Garret Rangel and went 84 yards for a touchdown because of multiple missed Wisconsin tackles. But the Cowboys managed just 37 yards on the rest of their 21 first-half plays. They punted on six of their seven first-half drives, which included four three-and-outs.

Wisconsin built a 24-7 advantage before two late scoring drives put Oklahoma State in a position to tie or take the lead in the final minutes. But cornerback Cedrick Dort Jr. sealed Wisconsin’s victory by intercepting Rangel with 2:51 remaining. Cornerback Jay Shaw picked off Rangel earlier in the game. Oklahoma State, a team that entered the game averaging 415.4 yards of total offense, finished with 281 yards. Wisconsin succeeded despite not having its most disruptive defensive lineman (Keeanu Benton) and its best defensive player (outside linebacker Nick Herbig), both of whom declared for the NFL Draft.

“Believe in the game plan, believe in coach Leonhard,” Dort said. “Coach Leonhard is one of the best defensive callers that I’ve ever seen in my life. So just believing in coach Leonhard, you step on the field with confidence because coach Leonhard is calling the calls. We’ve been prepared since the season has been over and just putting all our faith in coach Leonhard, putting our faith in each other, going out there and playing for each other and for coach Leonhard.”

Those first-hand experiences around Leonhard were a big reason that players staunchly supported him during his stint as interim coach and stumped for him to earn the permanent role. Safety John Torchio said after the Minnesota game that “whoever hires coaches is going to be an idiot if they don’t hire coach Leonhard.” The next day, McIntosh hired Fickell. Torchio said Tuesday that he stood by his statement because it was said out of love for Leonhard, while he also acknowledged there was plenty of excitement about the changes Fickell could bring to Wisconsin.

“It was definitely emotional to send that guy off on a win, just a smile on his face walking off means a lot,” Torchio said of Leonhard. “That guy has done so much for this program as a player and as a coach. To finish with a win for him definitely meant a lot.”

Wisconsin’s game truly represented the end of the Chryst era, as the coaches he hired spent their final few hours on the Badgers’ sideline. Most, if not all, of the previous assistants will not be coaching for the Badgers next season. Outside linebackers coach Bobby April is set to become Stanford’s defensive coordinator, and defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej will join him. Players and coaches lingered on the field well after the ceremony ended, wives and family members in tears as they hugged.

“That was kind of our whole emphasis throughout this whole bowl prep and coming in here this week was going out with a bang, not only for coach Leonhard, but all of our coaches are leaving for the most part,” outside linebacker Darryl Peterson said. “We wanted to go out with a bang for them, and we did that tonight.”

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When Leonhard was promoted to interim coach Oct. 2, he preached to his players the value of compartmentalization, of mourning Chryst’s firing away from the field while focusing on the task of playing well when on the field. Leonhard was forced to confront his own balancing act the past four weeks, and players said he handled it with admirable professionalism.

“It’s really been a conversation all year,” Leonhard said. “You can do both. You can think for the future and plan for the future and also pour your heart and soul into this. It really hasn’t been much difference than the last seven weeks of the regular season.”

Leonhard said that while he appreciated Fickell’s gesture after the game, “it ain’t about me,” indicating that it was now Fickell’s program to lead. When asked if the way the last month transpired left a bitter taste about his time at Wisconsin, he answered succinctly.

“A lot of thoughts on that,” Leonhard said. “But tonight’s not the night.”

And with that, he walked off into an unknown future that, for the first time in his coaching career, won’t include Wisconsin.

(Top photo: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)