Former Wisconsin defensive assistant joins Big Ten coaching staff
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Former Wisconsin football assistant Ross Kolodziej is back in the Big Ten for the 2026 season, as Northwestern hired him as its new defensive line coach on Tuesday.
Kolodziej was a four-year starter for the Badgers from 1997-2000. He then returned to the program as a graduate assistant in 2012 after his 10-year NFL career. After a two-year stint at Pittsburgh under future Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst, Kolodziej returned to his alma mater as its strength and conditioning coach in 2015. He held that position through 2020, before switching over to defensive line. The defensive assistant was part of the program's coaching staff overhaul following the 2022 season; he landed as defensive line coach at Stanford, where former Badger assistant Bobby April III took over as defensive coordinator.
The veteran assistant joins a Northwestern coaching staff that underwent significant changes this offseason, including the hire of former NFL head coach Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator. The Wildcats enter 2026 looking to improve on their 7-6 finish in 2025.
Source: Northwestern has hired Ross Kolodziej as defensive line coach. The former Wisconsin and NFL defensive lineman coached Stanford’s D-line the past three seasons after two with Wisconsins’s DL. Former strength coach at Wisconsin and Pitt. He replaces Christian Smith. pic.twitter.com/rePGLTdTIy
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) January 28, 2026
Wisconsin is not scheduled to play Northwestern in 2026. The two programs are next scheduled to meet in 2027 at Camp Randall Stadium.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin football coach Ross Kolodziej hire Northwestern Wildcats
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