The carousel that is the Wolf Pack football team's defensive coordinator position reportedly took another spin Wednesday.
Andy Buh, the former Wolf Pack linebacker and program's defensive coordinator the past two seasons, has accepted the linebackers coach position at Wisconsin, according to multiple online reports.
FootballScoop.com first reported the move, which was also confirmed to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel by an anonymous source.
Neither Buh, coach Chris Ault nor athletic director Cary Groth returned messages left on their cell phones. A Wolf Pack spokesperson couldn't confirm Buh's departure.
During his two years at Nevada, the 38-year-old Buh helped turn around a Wolf Pack defense that ranked at the bottom of the nation in pass defense prior to his arrival.
Buh, a Wolf Pack linebacker from 1993-94, took over for Nigel Burton prior to Nevada's historic 2010 season. In Burton's final season, the Wolf Pack allowed 28.5 points and 409.3 yards per game. In Buh's two seasons, the Wolf Pack allowed 23.2 points and 366.3 yards per game.
Buh's replacement will be the Wolf Pack's 15th defensive coordinator in Ault's 28-year tenure. Only one of those coordinators lasted more than three seasons -- Ken Mizell in the early-'90s.
The Wolf Pack defense will undergo a lot of personnel change next season. The unit will lose three four-year starters -- linebackers James-Michael Johnson and Brandon M. Marshall and cornerback Isaiah Frey -- as well as All-American defensive tackle Brett Roy. The Wolf Pack returns five defensive starters, including one all-conference player in safety Duke Williams.
Buh was San Diego State's linebackers coach from 2002-05 before becoming Stanford's linebackers coach in 2007. He was the Cardinal's defensive coordinator from 2008-09 and had verbally agreed to become Western Kentucky's defensive coordinator prior to the 2010 season before Ault lured him to Nevada.
During his introductory press conference, Ault praised Buh's loyalty and said he wasn't the type of coach who would spend time seeking his next job instead of focusing on the task at hand.
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"The one thing he said to me, and he had another job in hand, was, 'I want to come home,'" Ault said during Buh's introductory press conference. "'I want to help get that defense where it should be and a get a ring on that finger.' This is a special guy. He's Nevada. He's us."
Buh helped the Wolf Pack win the 2010 WAC championship -- only the second WAC title in program history -- but appears headed to Wisconsin after a two-year stint at Nevada.
While he'd move from defensive coordinator to linebackers coach, Buh would likely receive a raise. According to the USA Today coaching salary database, Buh made $174,002 as Nevada's defensive coordinator last season. Dave Huxtable, who was Wisconsin's linebackers coach last season before he became Pitt's defensive coordinator earlier this month, made $190,000 plus a $58,500 bonus in 2011.
The loss of Buh would be the second to Nevada's staff in the past week and the fifth in the past three seasons. The Wolf Pack also has lost running backs coach Jim Mastro (UCLA; 2011), offensive coordinator Chris Klenakis (Arkansas; 2010), Burton (Portland State; 2010) and offensive lineman Cameron Norcross (Fresno State; 2012).
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