Former Wisconsin defensive assistant joins Big Ten coaching staff
Ross Kolodziej, a former Wisconsin football assistant, is returning to the Big Ten for the 2026 season after being hired by Northwestern as their new defensive line coach on Tuesday.
Kolodziej played as a four-year starter for the Wisconsin Badgers from 1997 to 2000. Following his 10-year career in the NFL, he came back to Wisconsin as a graduate assistant in 2012. He then spent two years coaching at Pittsburgh under Paul Chryst, who later became Wisconsin’s head coach. In 2015, Kolodziej returned to Wisconsin as the strength and conditioning coach, a role he held until 2020 before moving to coach the defensive line. After the 2022 season, he was part of a coaching staff reshuffle at Wisconsin and took on the defensive line coach position at Stanford, where former Badgers assistant Bobby April III became defensive coordinator.
Kolodziej joins a Northwestern coaching staff that has seen major changes this offseason, including the appointment of former NFL head coach Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator. The Wildcats are aiming to improve upon their 7-6 record from the 2025 season.
Wisconsin and Northwestern are not scheduled to face each other in 2026, with their next meeting planned for 2027 at Camp Randall Stadium.
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