Bret Bielema was Barry Alvarez’ hand-picked successor when he stepped down at Wisconsin following the 2005 season. Seven years later, Bielema is leaving the Badgers for the SEC’s Arkansas Razorbacks.
This is a bit of a shocker, and the biggest surprise of the college football coaching carousel season.
Bielema went 68-24 over those seven years, and led the Badgers to three straight Big Ten championships (and three Rose Bowls) behind teams that played great defense and produced a ton of 1,000-yard rushers. Multiple sources reported the move minutes ago.
According to CBS, Bielema “seemingly has no ties to Arkansas or AD Jeff Long who conducted the search.”
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, a Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Chicago Tribune.com, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports
A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; he’s also a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.