Wisconsin has a new cornerbacks coach.

The school announced Thursday it had hired Hank Poteat to help defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard in the secondary.

Poteat played cornerback for 10 years in the NFL and has been a coach in the college ranks almost since his retirement in 2009. His stops included Pittsburgh, his alma mater, when current Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst was the coach there. After two years as a graduate assistant, he spent two years as the cornerbacks coach at Kent State and the last four years at Toledo in the same position.

“I’m excited to be working with Hank again,” Chryst said in a release. “He’s a tremendous person and a great coach. I’m really fired up for our players to get the chance to be coached by Hank because I think he’s a terrific teacher and will really connect with our guys.”

Leonhard has coached the secondary for the past five seasons, though he’s usually focused on the safeties during individual work in practice, while another assistant coach would run the cornerbacks through drills. Now, Poteat will handle that, while also being able to be on the road recruiting.

“First and foremost what drew me to the job is Coach Chryst,” Poteat said in the release. “Having the opportunity to work with him and his staff again is exciting, and I’m thrilled to be able to reconnect. This is also a great step in my career as a coach. I started as GA at Pitt and learned from that tremendous group of coaches and then had the opportunity to really spread my wings as a coach in the MAC. To be able to take the next step and coach this outstanding group of players in the Big Ten is an honor.”

Poteat takes over a position group with a lot of returning talent. While junior Rachad Wildgoose declared early for the NFL Draft, senior Caesar Williams announced he would return for a sixth year. Other returnees include Faion Hicks, Donte Burton, Semar Melvin, Deron Harrell, Alexander Smith and Dean Engram.

“I’ve heard so many good things about Coach Leonhard from guys that we both crossed paths with in the NFL,” Poteat said. “We both have similar backgrounds in terms of being in the league for a long time and playing for several teams throughout our careers. More importantly we have similar backgrounds and ideas in terms of how we approach coaching young men. That’s another thing that really drew me to the job.”

Wisconsin’s decision to hire Poteat means the Badgers likely won’t hire a dedicated quarterbacks coach to replace Jon Budmayr, who left for Colorado State earlier this year. Prior to taking that job in 2018, Budmayr was a quality control coach with the Badgers who spent nearly all of his time with the quarterbacks. It’s possible Wisconsin uses that model again, while Chryst could also take a more hands on approach with the position.