The numerous Wisconsin connections on the Notre Dame coaching staff

The Wisconsin Badgers will host Notre Dame at Lambeau Field on Sept. 6, and many members of the Notre Dame coaching staff will be returning to a state where they've already made some memories.

That list may not technically include Marcus Freeman, but he was defensive coordinator at Cincinnati under Luke Fickell before joining Notre Dame.

Here's a look at all the connections.

Gino Guidugli, quarterbacks coach

Once a member of the Badgers staff himself (kind of), the Kentucky native played college football at Cincinnati and after briefly spending time in camp with the Tennessee Titans, became a quarterback in arena football, including multiple stops in Wisconsin.

In 2007 and then again from 2008-09, he played for the Green Bay Blizzard. In 2011, he played with the Milwaukee Mustangs. He racked up 109 touchdowns over two seasons in Milwaukee (bearing in mind the high-volume nature of arena football) with 29 interceptions.

He served as running back coach under Luke Fickell at Cincinnati but then initially went to Wisconsin to become passing coordinator and tight ends coach before choosing to divert to Notre Dame instead as quarterbacks coach a little more than a month later.

Mike Brown, receivers coach

The former NFL receiver served as receivers coach under Fickell in Cincinnati and then became passing game coordinator. Brown then followed Fickell to Wisconsin and spent the 2023 season coaching receivers for the Badgers. After 2023, though, he jumped to Notre Dame to reunite with former Cincinnati staffers Marcus Freeman, Guidugli and Mike Mickens.

Joe Rudolph, offensive line coach

Few coaches have the breadth of Wisconsin ties as Rudolph, who became a starting offensive lineman and team captain for the Badgers from 1991-94, where he was named first-team All Big Ten twice and was part of the Rose Bowl-winning 1993 team that changed the trajectory of the program.

Rudolph became tight ends coach for the Badgers from 2008-11, followed Paul Chryst to Pittsburgh and then came back as associate head coach and offensive coordinator from 2015-20, then remained as offensive line coach after Chryst took the OC role back in 2020.

Rudolph then left to join Virginia Tech as offensive line coach and associate head coach after the 2021 season.

Chris Ash, defensive coordinator

Ash joined the Badgers staff in 2010 as defensive backs coach and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2011 and 2012; he left the program after that season to join Bret Bielema in Arkansas.

Ash became head coach at Rutgers from 2016-19 and then worked at Texas and with NFL teams before becoming defensive coordinator at UND.

Aaron Henry, defensive backs

The former Badgers safety is in his first year as co-defensive coordinator after three years as Illinois DC under Bielema. He's also in charge of defensive backs at Notre Dame.

He was named first-team All-Big Ten in 2011 after a second-team campaign in 2010.

Charlie Partridge, defensive line coach

After spending time in the NFL, Partridge is back in college this year as defensive line coach for the Irish. His most recent job in college involved co-DC duties in Pittsburgh.

He coached special teams and defensive line from 2008-10 in Wisconsin before getting a promotion to associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator for 2011 and 2012. He then went to Arkansas under Bielema.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The numerous Wisconsin connections on the Notre Dame coaching staff