{"id":734569,"date":"2026-02-07T00:45:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T00:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/734569\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T00:45:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T00:45:41","slug":"jim-leonhard-adds-3rd-former-wisconsin-badger-to-his-new-buffalo-bills-coaching-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/734569\/","title":{"rendered":"Jim Leonhard adds 3rd former Wisconsin Badger to his new Buffalo Bills coaching staff"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Buffalo Bills defense is starting to look like<\/a> Wisconsin Badgers East.<\/p>\n

New defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard will clearly put a Badgers-spin on the scheme they put on the field, but now his coaching staff is filling up with coaches who either played or coached at Wisconsin previously.<\/p>\n

The latest UW connection he brought in is Terrance Jamison, who was most recently co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Illinois.<\/p>\n

Bills are hiring Illinois co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Terrance Jamison as their Defensive Line coach.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 6, 2026<\/a>Jamison’s path from Wisconsin to Buffalo<\/p>\n

Beyond the obvious Bret Bielema connection on the Illinois staff, Jamison played defensive line for the Badgers from 2005-2007 under Bieleman’s tutiledge.<\/p>\n

He came in right after Leonhard finished his playing career and left for the NFL.<\/p>\n

Jamison began his coaching career as a student assistant on the Wisconsin staff, eventually becoming a defensive quality control coach in 2011 and then a graduate assistant in 2012.<\/p>\n

He helped out with the defensive line as an assistant, working with J.J. Watt in 2010.<\/p>\n

He went on to coach for a number of colleges around the country before reuniting with Bielema on the Illini staff in 2021, where he remained until now leaving for Buffalo.<\/p>\n

The Bills have hired Jim Leonhard as defensive coordinator pic.twitter.com\/1Oe4pmBOSQ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) January 31, 2026<\/a>Related: Jim Leonhard shares what he learned from his time as Wisconsin Badgers interim head coach<\/a><\/p>\n

Jamison joins two other former Badgers as assisstant coaches on Leonhard’s Bills staff.<\/p>\n

He also brought in former Wisconsin defensive back Jay Valai to be the cornerbacks coach<\/a> in Buffalo.<\/p>\n

Valai also came directly from the college ranks to join Leonhard in the pros.<\/p>\n

The same was true for new Bills outside linebackers coach Bobby April. He had just agreed to be the new rush ends coach at Minnesota under PJ Fleck, but Leonhard stole him<\/a> for the NFL.<\/p>\n

April was previously Wisconsin’s outside linebackers coach from 2018-2022 under Leonhard, coaching future NFL players like Andrew Van Ginkel, Zack Baun and Nick Herbig.<\/p>\n

Buffalo still has a vacancy for their safeties coach position. Don’t be surprised if the defensive coordinator dips back into his college connections to fill that role too.<\/p>\n

Wisconsin signs son of former Badgers RB and Super Bowl champion as priority walk-on in 2026 recruiting class<\/a>Wisconsin\u2019s No. 1 recruit for the 2027 class is already a major in-state recruiting weapon for Badgers<\/a>Bret Bielema could bring former Wisconsin Badgers defensive coordinator to Illinois<\/a><\/a>Wisconsin Badgers have multiple direct connections to both Patriots and Seahawks in Super Bowl 60<\/a>