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Pitt football head coach Paul Chryst is expected to leave for Wisconsin as early as Wednesday, when the Badgers can officially make a hire. He may be bringing a few Pitt assistants with him, too.
Popular site CoachingSearch.com has the scoop:
Wisconsin: CoachingSearch has learned that Paul Chryst will indeed be the Badgers’ next head coach. Human resources has to take its course. Pitt defensive coordinator / linebackers coach Matt House is expected to follow Chryst, but not as the defensive coordinator. Pitt offensive coordinator / tight ends coach Joe Rudolph will also be a part of Chryst’s staff. Rudolph previously coached at Wisconsin from 2008-11 as tight ends coach.
The news about House will be welcome news to a lot of fans, obviously, since the Pitt defense struggled quite a bit this year. Interestingly enough, it doesn't sound as if House will be the defensive coordinator and if true, you have to wonder if Chryst came to that decision himself or if Wisconsin/Barry Alvarez had any say in that. SB Nation's Wisconsin site, Bucky's 5th Quarter, says that the incumbent defensive coordinator could keep that role.
While losing House won't cause most fans to shed many tears, Rudolph's name has been mentioned by fans to replace Chryst based on the strength of his offense. If Rudolph were to be offered the Pitt job, that obviously could change this. He's from the area and while following Chryst to Wisconsin doesn't seem far-fetched, it's hard to imagine he would turn down a head job if given the offer. His unit was, overall, pretty good with James Conner and Tyler Boyd having big seasons.
All in all, you can probably expect most (if not, all) of Chryst's staff to be gone. Some will follow him to Wisconsin and, unless the new coach wants to keep some of them, the rest will need to find new jobs.
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