Wisconsin adds three to Fickell’s defensive staff

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin added Paul Haynes, Colin Hitschler and Greg Scruggs to new coach Luke Fickell’s defensive employees.

Haynes will coach cornerbacks and Scruggs will coach defensive linemen. Hitschler will coach safeties and lead the particular groups unit.

“I am actually enthusiastic about with the ability to add Paul, Colin and Greg,” Fickell mentioned Thursday in a press release. “I’ve expertise working with all three of them and they’re super coaches and other people. They honestly worth the relationships with their gamers and can work diligently to assist them develop each on and off the sphere.”

Fickell already had named Mike Tressel as his defensive coordinator.

Haynes coached Minnesota’s cornerbacks the previous three seasons and was the Gophers’ co-defensive coordinator in 2022. He was the pinnacle coach at Kent State from 2013 to 2017 and posted a 14-45 file.

Haynes beforehand coached Ohio State’s secondary from 2005 to 2011 and was co-defensive coordinator in 2011 when Fickell was the Buckeyes’ interim head coach. He additionally was Michigan State’s defensive backs coach in 2018-19, when Tressel was the Spartans’ defensive coordinator.

Hitschler joined Fickell’s Cincinnati employees as a top quality management coach in 2018 and was the Bearcats’ safeties coach from 2020 to 2022. He additionally has coached safeties at South Alabama.

Scruggs was the New York Jets’ assistant line of defense coach this season. He was Cincinnati’s director of participant improvement from 2018 to 2019 and line of defense coach from 2020 to 2021.