Jim Leonhard has spent his life chasing things beyond his reach.

The Buffalo Bills’ new defensive coordinator was a (maybe) 5-foot-8 kid from Tony, Wis., population 105. His teensy high school has gotten tinier since he left and now plays eight-man football.

Leonhard amassed every accolade you could imagine at Flambeau High. He broke records, was voted captain, earned all-state recognition in three sports, was named all-academic, struck out 19 batters in a seven-inning game, and won slam-dunk competitions.

A no-scholarship college star, an undrafted NFL keystone, an entry-level assistant coach who skyrocketed to national prominence within a year, Leonhard’s pursuit of excellence has defied all who’ve wondered if he truly had what it took.

“Part of what comes with being in a small town is knowing there’s always bigger and better out there,” Leonhard said. “I always had my eyes on that. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve got to go find it.

“So I didn’t compare myself to anybody in this little world I was in. I knew there was more. I wanted to go compete. Let’s go chase the guy that you’re not seeing.”

He received zero Division I scholarship offers because he’s small.

Leonhard walked onto the University of Wisconsin football team, played as a true freshman, led the country in interceptions as a sophomore, and became a three-time All-American.

But the NFL didn’t draft him because he’s small.

Yet, he stuck for 10 years with the Bills, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns through guile. He was a valuable commodity; NFL coaches Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine relied on him not only to run their defenses, but also to interpret them for his teammates.

Those traits translated directly to coaching. One year into the vocation, Wisconsin promoted him to defensive coordinator. His units routinely ranked among the top five nationally in total defense. Before he turned 40, he’d spurned an offer from the Green Bay Packers and interest from University of Alabama coach Nick Saban. In 2022, Wisconsin hired a new coach, passing over Leonhard — a move Badgers fans lament.

Leonhard dominated his next transition, too, joining the Denver Broncos and quickly establishing himself as a rising NFL coaching star.

Now the Bills are counting on him to help deliver what has remained beyond their reach: a Super Bowl championship.

To learn about how Leonhard has defied expectations throughout his life, The Athletic spoke to his mentors, teammates and admirers.

Leonhard was such an afterthought as a Wisconsin freshman in 2001 that his name didn’t appear in the media guide. The next year, still without a scholarship, he was Wisconsin’s first sophomore since 1947 to be named team MVP.

Paul Chryst, former Wisconsin coach: Jim’s story is legendary on that campus. Everybody knows it.

Barry Alvarez, former Wisconsin football coach and athletics director: I’ll never forget the first day in freshman camp. I told our secondary coach, “Have that Leonhard kid work with the second unit.” He said, “Who are you talking about?” I said, “The little guy who gets his hands on every goddamn ball that’s thrown!”

Leonhard: There was a lot I had to learn, but I got to be a backup and played special teams. That success helped elevate me to the next step.

Alvarez: When he shows up, he’s not very imposing, not real impressive, but you can’t deny his athletic ability. He ran a 4.4 (in the 40-yard dash). We would have dunk contests, and he would stuff the basketball any way you wanted it.

Leonhard: Halfway through camp my sophomore year, the starter decided to transfer. From that point, it wasn’t necessarily a blur, but everything happened really fast. I had a great spring and earned a lot of respect from the coaches.

Ryan, who coached Leonhard with the Ravens, Jets and Bills: He was an All-American and led in interceptions and punt returns. That didn’t come by luck.

Leonhard was voted first-team All-America three times yet went undrafted in 2005. The Bills signed him as a rookie free agent.

Pettine, who coached Leonhard on Ryan’s staffs and as Browns head coach: You didn’t think this was a guy who could start at safety for you. You thought he was going to do your taxes.

Ryan: It’s hard to recognize a player like that, because you’ve got to be able to have confidence in your eyes. Most scouts miss it because “He’s not big enough.” Well, who’s making all the plays? Who can handle all the pressure?

Darrelle Revis, Hall of Fame cornerback and Jets teammate: If you don’t pass the eye test, that’s one thing. Remember Tom Brady’s combine photos? We’ve got to see what kind of player you are between the white lines. He proved it every day.

Rod Woodson, Hall of Fame defensive back: He was a gym rat. This was told to me as a rookie in 1987: Every player on an NFL roster has talent — everybody. They are the best out of the best out of the best in the world. Jim just didn’t fit the mold.

Matt Bowen, former Bills safety and special-teamer: Special teams back then was the Wild West. You had four-man wedges on kickoffs and trap blocks. If you’re going to run down that field on kickoff, you’re going to hit hard, and it’s going to hurt. Jimmy loved doing that stuff.

John Guy, former Bills vice president of pro personnel: Everything about him was plus-plus-plus. He had courage. Dependable, reliable. He didn’t make mistakes. He didn’t miss tackles.

Bowen: He handled himself like a 12-year vet. I missed a lot of games with a crack in my fibula. To stay mentally involved while I was out, I would study third-down tendencies of our next opponent and share with the other DBs. I’m a veteran, sitting down to tell this rookie what the Patriots do on third-and-2-to-6, but he already knew it.

In 2008, Buffalo declined to re-sign Leonhard after three seasons. He landed with Baltimore as a deep backup. When strong safety Dawan Landry suffered a career-threatening neck injury that September, Leonhard became the starter on a loaded defense.

Guy: His size and some injuries made it tough to keep a player like that over guys you’ve drafted. We were at the point where we needed so many different things that we could never get it right.

Pettine: John Harbaugh had just gotten hired by the Ravens. You get an extra minicamp as a staff before the draft because of a new head coach, and we were very light on safeties. We needed extra bodies to eat up reps just so we can do 11-on-11 work.

Ryan: I remember telling (Ravens GM) Ozzie Newsome, “If we want to keep the best players, I want this f–ing kid right here.”

Guy: Jimmy got a full opportunity in Baltimore to carry the load. Sometimes, it takes another opportunity to show what you really got.

Leonhard: You sit back and think, “Damn, I’ve played with some pretty impressive players.” Much of that group is in Canton or on their way to Canton.

Pettine: We had great players that we wanted to take the thinking off their plate. You never want to slow a special talent down because he has to process too much information. We used the term “thinking buddy,” and Jimmy was multiple players’ “thinking buddy.” We told Jim, “If they make a mistake for a mental error, that’s your fault.” And he welcomed that.

Ryan: He was probably at his best in the biggest games. Just a clutch player. We beat Tennessee (in the 2008-09 playoffs), he forces a couple fumbles and does it all. We left that stadium having two tight ends playing defensive end to win the game, just beat to s–. Didn’t matter. That sucker played his ass off.

The Jets hired Ryan to be their head coach in 2009. He brought Leonhard as a foundational piece.

Revis: Jim came in with a certain type of leadership from the Ravens. Those guys were winning a lot with Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, and the way they demand the same type of approach to the game from everybody … That’s what Jim did for us. It changes your organization.

Jim O’Neil, defensive assistant with the Jets, Bills and Browns: I had just got hired by the Jets to coach safeties, my first year in the NFL. Now I was coaching a brilliant player who knew the system better than I did.

Ryan: I’ve been around a lot of damn smart players, but having Jim was a luxury. He’s a chess master, two steps ahead all the time.

O’Neil: He was a pain in my ass. I always felt like I had to stay one night ahead of him in my prep. He challenged me every single day with maybe the toughest scheme questions you could get.

Ryan: We had (veteran safety) Kerry Rhodes, who wanted to call the defense. Well, that lasted about two days. Jimmy just took it over.

Revis: I really loved playing with him. His intellect, his football IQ, the way he communicated — he was just very tuned-in and detailed.

Pettine: He’s a calming influence. He could think clearly in a firestorm.

Ryan: When he was in there, we were the best defense in the league, and it wasn’t close.

Leonhard started 30 consecutive games for the Jets, including playoffs. But in a 2010 Week 13 practice collision with receiver Patrick Turner, Leonhard broke his right shinbone.

Ryan: When he got hurt, it cost us a Super Bowl. I’m convinced of that.

Revis: That was a big blow. We were really balling out, and he was an anchor.

Pettine: It happened on a Friday. We went and lost to the Patriots 45-3. We’d beaten them already that year and would beat them again a month later in the playoffs, but when you lose a guy like Jim, he brings the value of more than just one person.

Ryan: No way in hell we would have been beaten by Pittsburgh (in the AFC Championship Game) had Jimmy been healthy.

As Ryan and Pettine moved on to other teams, they repeatedly brought Leonhard with them as an on-field lieutenant.

Pettine: He was one of those rare players that could provide an understanding of what we were trying to do. He truly understood the why.

O’Neil: He was a great bridge for the coaches to think about things from a player’s perspective.

Pettine: He wasn’t afraid to say, “Hey, the guys are a little hung up on this one,” or “You might be overloading the guys with this.” … It was a no-brainer he was going to coach. It was just such a natural thing because he has a gift.

Bowen: He loves his craft. He’s a grinder.

Leonhard retired from playing after the 2014 season. He joined Wisconsin’s staff as a defensive backs coach in 2016.

Chryst: I talked to him to see if he just wanted to be around it, get a taste of it.

Leonhard: I got into (coaching) thinking, “This is year to year. Let’s see how long this lasts.” I just wanted to go back to Madison and help max out what that place could be.

Woodson, a former Big Ten Network analyst: When he first got the job, I thought, “Is that the Jim Leonhard who played in the NFL?” I had to Google it up. “That is him!” I’ve been rooting for him as a coach ever since.

Chryst: When I had a chance to name a new defensive coordinator (in 2017), I felt like Jim was everything we needed. He had coached only one season, but he had so much football experience. There wasn’t a lot of discussion.

Bowen: Jimmy’s defense at Wisconsin was a great study: multiple fronts, simulated pressures, creating numbers advantages in terms of blitzes and coverages, taking away what opponents do best.

Pettine: When you were evaluating college players, you looked forward to getting to watch Wisconsin film.

O’Neil: They were badass.

Wisconsin fired Chryst in October 2022 and named Leonhard interim head coach for the final seven games. Wisconsin then hired University of Cincinnati coach and longtime Ohio State assistant coach Luke Fickell instead.

Chryst: I thought Jim was the right one to take over. I didn’t see the change happening, but in that instance it’s hard to switch and not care about the good of the team anymore. I wanted him to be the next guy, absolutely.

Alvarez: He had my endorsement.

Leonhard: If I’d have had the chance, I would have made it better. I felt like I had the plan, the structure, the organization set, and a plan for a lot of the people. So you get really excited about what that could look like, and they went in a different direction.

Ryan: For them not to give him the Wisconsin job is an absolute f–ing joke. People who know the game know how good he is. … I’m looking forward to him being a head coach in the NFL because that’s where he belongs. Quite frankly, he’s too smart for the college level. He’d be wasted there. He’s destined to be a great one.

After two seasons as the Broncos’ defensive pass-game coordinator, new Bills coach Joe Brady hired Leonhard to run their defense. 

Ryan: Right out of the gate, he’s going to have a huge impact. Josh Allen’s my favorite player in the league, and I want to see him win some Super Bowls. It’s just a great hire.

Bowen: No disrespect to the previous coaches in Buffalo. They won a lot of games, but I think the fans are going to love it.

Pettine: Jim O’Neil and I have had those discussions. We’re curious to know what he’s going to major in.

O’Neil: He’s rooted in pressure. I would be shocked if he just got into a 4-3 defense and played coverage. That’s not in his DNA.

Pettine: I think he’s going to be conventional on early downs just because of the run threat, but as soon as he’s free to get a little bit exotic, he’ll do some fun stuff.

Woodson: It will be based on trust and speed, a lot of blitzes that will look different. Rex’s defenses are very similar to what we see with (Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator) Brian Flores today, a lot of crazy things. Jim will bring that life.

Bowen: If this defense takes off, they’re probably going to be playing in the last game of the year.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.