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Wisconsin outside linebackers coach and defensive run game coordinator Tim Tibesar deserves much praise for his work since coming to Madison in 2015. Now, he reportedly will be heading out west to lead a defense.
247Sports, and Rivals.com (its BeaversEdge.com and BadgerBlitz.com affiliated sites) both reported on Sunday evening that Tibesar will become the next Oregon State defensive coordinator. FootballScoop.com also reported the news via their sources on Monday that the former NFL and CFL assistant would jump to the Pac-12 program, while the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jeff Potrykus noted his UW source confirmed the news on early Monday.
In his time at Wisconsin, Tibesar has guided and mentored the likes of NFL-bound linebackers Joe Schobert, T.J. Watt and Vince Biegel. In 2015, Schobert and Biegel combined for 33.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks, with the former named the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year. Tibesar also was named the FootballScoop Linebackers Coach of the Year along with former defensive coordinator Dave Aranda that year.
Last season, Watt and Biegel combined for 15.5 sacks while the outside linebacker position combined for 31.5 tackles for loss.
During the 2017 season in which he added the defensive run game coordinator title to his resume, redshirt seniors Garret Dooley (7.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss) and Leon Jacobs (3.5 sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions) developed and progressed to become starters and major contributors for a defense ranked among the best in the nation.
Redshirt junior Andrew Van Ginkel also registered nine tackles for loss and is tied for second on the team in sacks (5.5), along with recording a huge pick-six against Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State.
Tibesar’s position group helped Wisconsin’s defensive unit rank No. 1 in total defense (253.2 yards per game) and team passing efficiency defense (96.31), No. 2 in rushing defense (92.6 yards per game), and No. 3 in scoring defense (13.2 points per game) on way to a 12-1 record and a Capital One Orange Bowl berth against Miami.
If reports are true that Tibesar will head to Corvallis to join the Oregon State coaching staff, it is not necessarily surprising as his resume speaks for itself. As Potrykus’s and article also stated, Tibesar applied twice in the past two years to become Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator, but Justin Wilcox and Jim Leonhard were hired in successive seasons to the position.
Prior to coming to Wisconsin, Tibesar was a defensive coordinator for the likes of Purdue (2012), the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes (2011), Kansas State (2007-08) and North Dakota (2004-05).