Purdue starting defender steps away from team before matchup vs. Wisconsin

Purdue starting defender dismissed from team before matchup vs. Wisconsin

This story was updated to add new information and because an earlier version included an inaccurate headline.

Purdue starting cornerback Markevious Brown has ‘stepped away from the team’ before the Boilermakers’ Week 6 matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers, according to a statement from the program.

The statement from Purdue also reads: “As of today, it is our expectation that he will rejoin the program for the 2025 season.”

Related: 10 keys to Wisconsin Badgers bounce-back victory over Purdue Boilermakers

Brown has started 15 of 16 games over the last two seasons for the Boilermakers. His first four games of 2024 included nine tackles and three pass deflections, that after finishing 2023 with 45 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, six pass deflections and two forced fumbles.

The veteran cornerback originally transferred to Purdue in 2023 after two years at Ole Miss.

Brown’s absence will likely push sophomore Derrick Rogers Jr. into a prominent role on Ryan Walters’ defensive unit — a unit that has struggled to begin the season, to say the least.

Purdue’s defense currently allows 33 points per game, ranked No. 116 in the nation. The team’s three-game losing streak has seen opponents put up point totals of 66, 38 and 28, respectively. The Boilermakers’ defense is also somehow the only group in the sport that is yet to force a single turnover.

This shuffling in the defensive backfield should only help Wisconsin’s chances at ending its current two-game losing streak.

The Badgers and Boilermakers will kick off at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on Big Ten Network.

UPDATE: On3’s Tom Dienhart reports that Botros Alisandro will start in place of Brown.

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