Jason Candle has an opening on his coaching staff.
Hank Poteat, Toledo’s cornerbacks coach the past four seasons, has left for the same job at Wisconsin.
“First and foremost, what drew me to the job is coach [Paul] Chryst,” Poteat said in a statement. “Having the opportunity to work with him and his staff again is exciting, and I’m thrilled to be able to reconnect.”
The 11-year coaching veteran came to UT from Kent State, and won a Super Bowl ring with the New England Patriots in 2004 as a player. Poteat previously worked under Wisconsin coach Chryst as a graduate assistant at Pitt from 2013-14.
“I'm excited to be working with Hank again,” Chryst said. “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.”
Poteat helped groom Ka’dar Hollman into an NFL draft pick at UT, and put together the nation’s 22nd-ranked passing efficiency defense in 2017 when the Rockets won the Mid-American Conference championship.
Poteat also coached current senior Samuel Womack (second in the nation in pass break-ups in 2019), and former Rocket Trevon Mathis (stints with the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers).
“I look at him not just as a coach, but a father figure and a mentor,” Mathis told The Blade in 2017. “He also helped me on a spiritual level get to where I need to be. On the days when I may be down, I always go and talk to him. He’ll always get me back on track, and help me stay the course and not to focus too much on myself, but other things around me."
Wisconsin had an opening on its staff after quarterbacks coach Jon Budmayr left to become offensive coordinator at Colorado State.
Poteat said another thing that attracted him to the job was the opportunity to work under Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
Leonhard and Poteat both played in the NFL for 10 seasons.
“We both have similar backgrounds in terms of being in the league for a long time and playing for several teams throughout our careers," Poteat said in his statement. "More importantly, we have similar backgrounds and ideas in terms of how we approach coaching young men."
First Published February 11, 2021, 11:20 p.m.
