Former Wisconsin offensive line coach Mike Markuson knew things weren’t going well, but he didn’t expect to lose his job—especially two weeks into the season.
Markuson appeared on SiriusXM College Sports Nation on Monday night, a day after it was leaked that he would not be retained by coach Bret Bielema. During the interview, Markuson admitted the transition in the spring wasn’t exactly smooth. Still, he was caught off guard when Bielema asked him to leave. Wisconsin lost last week to Oregon State.
“He brought me into his office Sunday afternoon after a staff meeting and basically told me he was making change,” Markuson said. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported excerpts from the interview. “We had talked a few times before about certain things (but) it was a surprise for me.
“I really thought we were making good progress. In light of what has transpired, I still believe what I was teaching is the right thing to do. Obviously it didn’t fit into what they wanted at Wisconsin.”
It’s not clear to what degree Wisconsin’s poor play this season can be directly attributed to the offensive line. But, 2011 Heisman Trophy finalist Montee Ball has been woeful compared with last year’s production. Quarterback Danny O’Brien has made the loss of Russell Wilson cut even deeper. On offense, little has gone right for the Badgers.
Markuson did have an assessment of O’Brien, who transferred as a graduate student from Maryland.
“He has done some good things, and he has done some bad things,” Markuson said. “He is learning the position. I think the kid is going to be a very good quarterback, but there’s still a learning curve out there for him. People have to be patient with him. He does have some tools.”