VERMILLION, S.D. — Coming in for his first season at South Dakota, we sit down with new offensive line coach Patrick Markarian and look at the offensive line group heading into the 2025 season.   
 
The Coyotes look to reload up front heading into the first season under head coach Travis Johansen.
 
Transition to USD
"It's been a great adjustment for me. Coach Johansen and the entire staff has been awesome. Everyone has been very welcoming from the top down. I think the transition will continue to be smooth, especially as we build this roster in this new age of college football."
 
"The transition has been good; it hasn't changed much on my end. You'd be hard to find a mid-major FBS team wanting to go play a MVFC FCS team as a season opener. Teams don't want to schedule a tough, well-coached Missouri Valley team."
 
"South Dakota is a special place to be, a special type of football. There's a lot of people beating down the door to be Yotes."
 
Returning to the MVFC
Markarian returns to the MVFC after finishing his collegiate career at Indiana State, taking the Sycamores to the FCS Playoffs for the first time in 31 years as an athlete.
 
"It's nice to be at a place that's viewed as one of the 'top dogs' in the Valley and the FCS. It's a privilege to have high expectations and put a good product on the field. I know what this conference is from a style of football."
 
Spring Ball Report
"It's been great trying to build relationships with all the guys in the room. Our biggest goal right now is getting better day-to-day. There were little wins in practices this spring but there were a lot of reps and lots of growth in the offensive line unit."
 
"The point of emphasis this spring was just getting better each day, and each guy did that. Each individual is a different player and at different stages in their career. Seeing those daily increments of improvement, mistakes made early on in spring ball weren't made by the end. If we keep progressively getting better in spring ball, carried into summer work outs, you have a really good shot of having a good season."
 
Heading into the 2025 Season
"I say this a lot to the guys: we're going to be fast, physical, and play with strength. No matter the five out there, we're going to be violent and run through you. We want opponents to turn on the tape and not want to play us."