MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin football head coach Paul Chryst has announced three changes to his staff, including the hiring of Bill Sheridan as inside linebackers coach.
Sheridan takes over inside linebackers duties from Bob Bostad, who has mentored that position group for the last five years. Bostad, entering his 12th season overall at Wisconsin, transitions to offensive line coach — a position he held for four highly-successful seasons during a previous stint with the Badgers.
Mickey Turner, who has spent the last seven seasons as UW’s tight ends coach, moves to an off-field role which will see him lead the Badgers’ recruiting efforts.
Sheridan joins the Badgers after spending two seasons as defensive line coach at Air Force and, prior to that, two seasons as linebackers coach at Boston College. He was the Eagles’ defensive coordinator in 2019.
Those positions marked a return to college football for Sheridan, who spent the previous 13 seasons in the pro ranks as a coach with four NFL franchises. Among those posts, he served as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants in 2009 and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2012-13. He also coached linebackers for Giants (2005-08), Dolphins (2010-11) and Lions (2014-17).
Sheridan twice helped the Lions reach the playoffs, and his efforts contributed to four consecutive playoff appearances for the Giants, including their Super Bowl XLII victory over New England to end the 2007 season.
While in Detroit, he coached All-Pro linebacker and Badgers product DeAndre Levy. Sheridan also mentored All-Pro linebacker Cameron Wake in Miami and Pro Bowler Antonio Pierce in New York.
No stranger to the Big Ten, Sheridan coached linebackers at Michigan State from 1998 to 2000 and later spent the 2002-04 seasons mentoring linebackers and defensive linemen at Michigan.
A Detroit native, Sheridan graduated in 1982 from Grand Valley State, where he was a three-year starter at linebacker.
“I’m thrilled to join the staff here at Wisconsin,” Sheridan said. “This is a program that I’ve admired for a long time, and now having the chance to work with Coach Chryst, Coach (Jim) Leonhard and this staff is an exciting opportunity for me. This team had the No. 1 defense in the country last season and has shown nothing but consistent excellence on defense under Coach Chryst and Coach Leonhard. I’m looking forward to helping sustain that success moving forward.”
“Bill is a strong addition to our staff,” Chryst said. “As we went through the hiring process, I was impressed by what he brings to the table in terms of his experience, his knowledge of the game and his ability to connect with players. Inside linebacker has been a strength for us over the last few years and I’m excited to see the impact of Bill’s coaching on what is a relatively young group as we look to maintain a high level of success from our linebackers.”
Bostad and Sheridan were members of the same staff in Tampa Bay from 2012-13, with Bostad coaching the Bucs’ offensive line and Sheridan serving as defensive coordinator. Now, Sheridan replaces Bostad as the Badgers’ inside linebackers coach, a position Bostad has held since re-joining the Wisconsin staff in 2017.
For Bostad, mentoring the Badgers’ offensive line marks a return to the role that saw him help Wisconsin build the most explosive offenses in school history while churning out an impressive list of pro linemen. Bostad previously served as UW’s offensive line coach for four seasons (2008-11), developing nine players who went on to become NFL draft picks and eight who would go on to be named first-team All-America. Overall, he has 24 years of experience coaching offensive linemen at the college and professional levels.
With Bostad as run game coordinator and O-line coach under Chryst — then UW’s offensive coordinator — the Badgers won back-to-back Big Ten championships on the strength of an offense that averaged 41.5 points per game in 2010 and 44.1 points per contest in 2011. Bostad’s line helped pave the way for RB Montee Ball to rush for 1,923 yards and match Barry Sanders’ single-season record with 39 touchdowns on his way to being a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2011. That front also protected QB Russell Wilson, who set an FBS record for passing efficiency, at 191.8, and threw for 3,175 yards and 33 touchdowns.
Bostad’s first two seasons on staff at Wisconsin (2006-07) were as tight ends coach. He saw three of his tight ends selected in the NFL draft, including first-team All-American and Mackey Award finalist Travis Beckum.
After leaving Wisconsin following the 2011 season, Bostad spent four seasons on NFL staffs as an O-line coach, first in Tampa Bay and then with Tennessee (2014-15). His time with the Titans included drafting and developing Pro Bowl tackle Taylor Lewan, who was named to the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team in 2014.
Upon returning to the Badgers’ staff in 2017 and coaching on defense for the first time, Bostad mentored two more first-team All-Americans in T.J. Edwards (2017) and Leo Chenal (2021). Both were finalists for the Butkus Award, while Ryan Connelly (2018) also was a semifinalist for the award presented to the nation’s top linebacker.
Edwards, Connelly, Jack Cichy and Chris Orr each have gone on to play linebacker in the NFL after being coached by Bostad, with Chenal and Jack Sanborn projected to be selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“It goes without saying that I’m proud to coach our offensive linemen once again,” Bostad said. “There is a standard here that is well-known. I’m proud to have contributed to that in the past, but having the opportunity to work every day on elevating that standard even further is what has me excited about the future. Our group is talented and I’m looking forward to helping them reach their potential, individually and as a unit, to help our offense be all it can be.”
“Bob has continually proven himself to be an outstanding coach, and you’ve seen it again in the job he’s done with our inside linebackers over the last few years,” Chryst said. “We had the need arise for an offensive line coach and, in Bob, I knew we had one of the very best in the business just down the hall. We have a tradition of strong play on the offensive line, and I know from experience that the tradition is in good hands with Bob. I’m excited for those players to have the opportunity to continue to grow with him as their coach.”
Turner will lead the recruiting efforts at his alma mater, moving into his new role after spending seven seasons as the Badgers’ tight ends coach.
As a coach, Turner helped the Badgers win 65 games, three Big Ten West Division titles and post a 6-1 record in bowl games. At tight end, he mentored 2017 John Mackey Award finalist and Big Ten Tight End of the Year Troy Fumagalli, as well as 2020 and 2021 first-team All-Big Ten selection Jake Ferguson.
Before joining Chryst’s coaching staff at Wisconsin, Turner previously worked in off-field roles under Chryst at Pittsburgh, including as assistant director of player development in 2014.
A team captain as a senior, Turner played for the Badgers from 2006-09 and was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. He went on to earn his MBA after graduating from UW in 2010.
“I’m excited for this new opportunity and excited to take on a new challenge,” Turner said. “As someone who lived it first-hand, I love sharing what makes this place and this program so special. I grew up out of state and knew very little about Wisconsin before my own recruiting process began, but this school and this program checked every box for me once I was exposed to it. Playing here gave me everything I needed to be successful on and off the field, and I’m excited to help the young men we’re recruiting to discover that for themselves.”
“Mickey has the ability to make a major impact on our recruiting efforts as he moves into a role that allows him to focus on that aspect of our program,” Chryst said. “He has a track record as a strong recruiter and as someone who is honest and genuine in how he represents our program and builds relationships. I’m excited for him and the opportunity that he has to lead our efforts on that front.”
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