Markuson, Rocker Added to Football Staff

OXFORD, Miss. Ole Miss head football coach Houston Nutt further assembled his Rebel coaching staff Tuesday, announcing the addition of Mike Markuson and Tracy Rocker. Both appointments are pending approval of the Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning.

Both coaches were members of Nutt’s Arkansas staff before arriving in Oxford. Markuson will serve as running game coordinator and offensive line coach, while Rocker will be the Rebels’ defensive line coach.

“Mike Markuson is an excellent offensive line coach who has been in the SEC for 10 years,” Nutt said. “He's also a proven recruiter and running game coordinator.

“Tracy Rocker is an outstanding technician who does a good job with the defensive line. He is also an excellent recruiter in the Georgia area.”

Markuson has been Nutt’s only offensive line coach in his 15 seasons as a head coach. In their decade at Arkansas, no other Southeastern Conference team was more effective at running the ball than the Razorbacks. In 2003, Markuson added the duty of running game coordinator, and the Hogs topped the SEC in rushing in four of the five campaigns under his watch.

The 2007 season saw the Razorbacks lead the SEC and end the season fourth in the nation in rushing offense with 286.54 yards per game. Additionally, Arkansas finished the season fifth nationally allowing only 13 sacks, which equated to just one sack per game for Razorback opponents.

Under Markuson’s tutelage, center Jonathan Luigs captured the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the outstanding center in college football, and was named a first-team All-American by Rivals.com and the Sporting News.

Also under Markuson’s watch, Darren McFadden (1,830) and Felix Jones (1,162) each rushed for over 1,000 yards for the second-straight season, and they earned 100 yards or more in the same game six times.

Behind Markuson’s unit, McFadden and Jones also posted 1,000-yard seasons in 2006, as Arkansas topped the SEC and ranked fourth nationally in rushing offense (228.5), 29th in total offense (378.0) and 31st in scoring offense (28.86). The line was also second in the nation in fewest sacks allowed (.64).

In addition, Markuson helped the Razorbacks top the SEC in rushing in 2005, 2003 and 2002, while the 2004 squad finished second despite the loss of all six starters. The 2003 Arkansas running attack ranked fifth nationally, and All-American tackle Shawn Andrews was an Outland and Lombardi Trophy finalist.

With 24 years of collegiate coaching experience, including three as an offensive coordinator, Markuson began his coaching relationship with Nutt at Oklahoma State where he was a graduate assistant in 1987 and 1988 while Nutt was the receivers coach.

The two were reunited in 1993 when Nutt was named head coach at Murray State and brought Markuson in to serve as his offensive line coach. They’ve been together since, including the 1997 season at Boise State where Markuson served as Nutt’s offensive coordinator. 

A former Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award winner at Auburn, Rocker spent the past five years on Nutt’s Arkansas staff as defensive line coach. His 2006 line ranked No. 4 in the SEC and 33rd in the nation in rushing defense. Arkansas also ranked first in the SEC and No. 21 nationally in tackles for loss.

Under Rocker’s guidance, Jamaal Anderson was the premier pass rusher in the SEC in 2006 with 14 sacks for 100 yards and 20.5 tackles for loss. The honorable mention All-American ranked third nationally in sacks per game with 1.0, while his 20.5 TFL ranked 12th.

Rocker’s 2005 unit tied for second in the SEC with 29 sacks and was fourth in rushing defense behind Jackson, who earned second-team All-SEC honors after finishing fourth on the team with 74 tackles.

Rocker joined Arkansas’ staff after one year at Cincinnati, where he helped the Bearcats win a share of the 2002 Conference USA title, preceded by five seasons at Troy State. While at TSU, three of his players received Division I-AA All-America honors, 13 players garnered all-conference accolades and five went on to sign NFL contracts.

A two-time All-American and a three-time All-SEC selection as a player at Auburn,

Rocker was named SEC Player of the Year during his senior season. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame by the National Football Foundation in December 2004 in New York City, and was inducted into Alabama’s state Sports Hall of Fame in the summer of 2005.

Rocker went on to play two seasons in the NFL with the Washington Redskins and was selected to the NFL All-Rookie team in 1990. He returned to Auburn to complete his undergraduate degree in 1992 and began his coaching career at the prep level the same year.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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