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Wisconsin hires veteran defensive assistant Mark D'Onofrio to oversee the inside linebackers

The Badgers hire a former linebacker with defensive coordinator experience to the defensive coaching staff.

Matt Belz

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The Wisconsin coaching staff looks very different heading into the 2022 season under the leadership of head coach Paul Chryst.

Already having shuffled and hired multiple coaches this off-season, the Wisconsin Badgers have officially added another defensive assistant to complete the coaching staff following the resignation of Bill Sheridan.

Wisconsin football announced the hiring of veteran defensive assistant Mark D'Onofrio to oversee the inside linebacker position on Friday afternoon. 

D'Onofrio has not coached since 2018, but he has a long track record of coaching linebackers and was a defensive coordinator for over a decade at the college level.

A New Jersey native, D'Onofrio played linebacker for Penn State and was a second-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in the 1992 NFL Draft. His playing career was cut short due to a severe injury, but he pivoted to coaching shortly thereafter.

D'Onofrio has nearly 20 years of coaching experience, with most of his stops on the East Coast.

Here are some of his notable roles:

  • Rutgers linebackers coach (2001-2003)
  • Virginia special teams/linebackers (2004-2005)
  • Temple defensive coordinator/linebackers (2006-2010)
  • Miami (FL) defensive coordinator (2011-2015)
  • Houston defensive coordinator/linebackers (2017-2018)

The 53-year-old assistant has not been on the sidelines the past four years, but D'Onofrio does bring experience to the inside linebacker room despite being let go by Miami and Houston after multiple years as a defensive coordinator.

Former Wisconsin assistant Bill Sheridan coached the group during the spring, but he resigned amid an NCAA investigation dating back to his time with Air Force. Sheridan was only on the job for a couple of months, but he was also a veteran coach with years of defensive coordinating experience.

Here is what Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst had to say about the hiring of D'Onofrio in a press release shared by the university on Friday:

“I’m excited to have Mark join our staff. He’s very passionate and brings great energy. He has a wealth of experience, both as a player and coach. That experience will help players, especially those in the inside linebacker room. Mark’s an excellent fit for our staff personally and philosophically. I can’t wait for him to be able to get around our players and I’m excited about their opportunity to learn from him.”

The Badgers are replacing both starting inside linebackers from a year ago with Jack Sanborn and Leo Chenal off to the NFL, so D'Onofrio draws the task of molding a young group to carry on Wisconsin's longstanding tradition at the position.

Junior linebacker Tatum Grass and sophomore Jordan Turner exited spring the likely starters, but with a new coach in the room that could potentially change.

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.

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