Biegel hopes Aranda will stay at Wisconsin

SAN DIEGO - Vince Biegel made it official after Wisconsin's 23-21 win over USC in the Holiday Bowl: he will return to Wisconsin for his senior season in 2016, instead of declaring a year early for the NFL Draft.

Now all Biegel can do is hope UW defensive coordinator Dave Aranda will return for another season as well.

Aranda has coached the Badgers for three seasons, and in the process he has built up a resume that is bound to attract attention from other programs around the country. In Aranda's three years with the team the Badgers have finished ranked seventh, fourth and third in the country in total defense, and have a good shot at finishing the 2015 season with the nation's best scoring defense.

Aranda has already attracted interest from other schools and the NFL, but chose to stay Wisconsin after former head coach Gary Andersen left for Oregon State and Paul Chryst was hired at his alma mater. And while Biegel said he's sure Aranda will make the best decision for himself and his family, the outspoken junior linebacker made it clear he's hoping to get a chance to close out his college career playing for Aranda.

"Coach Aranda’s business is his business," Biegel said after the Holiday Bowl. "I know coach Aranda is going to take care of himself, make the best decision for himself, and I’m making the best decision for myself."

"That being said, I would love, love for coach Aranda to stay. He is a vital piece in the Wisconsin Badger program to make it go where we want to go."

Aranda previously downplayed talk about other jobs, saying that there was a time and place to think about career moves- but during the regular season wasn't the right time.

But with Wisconsin's regular season in the books Aranda will surely take some time to sit down and assess his options. With high-profile defensive coordinator positions open at Southern California and Louisiana State (among others) and a handful of jobs about to come open in the NFL, Aranda can afford to be selective and decide what the best fit for him would be- including staying at Wisconsin for another season, perhaps with a salary bump.

And if that's the route Aranda takes, count Biegel as one player among many who would be thrilled to hear the news.

"I’ve been known to say I would take a bullet for (Aranda)," Biegel said. "I would take another bullet for him to stay. I would love to see him stay."

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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.