The Wisconsin Badgers have made their first major staff move of the offseason, firing offensive line coach AJ Blazek after two seasons with the program.
Blazek, who was hired from the Vanderbilt Commodores,
was brought in after Wisconsin had parted ways with former offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr., who was hired alongside former offensive coordinator Phil Longo.
Under Blazek, the Badgers saw an improvement in pass protection over the past two years, but the unit’s run blocking wasn’t consistent enough, and it felt like the offensive line underperformed compared to expectations.
Blazek was a big recruiter for Wisconsin, landing five commits in both the 2024 and 2025 classes, including four-star recruits Kevin Heywood (2024), Emerson Mandell (2024), Logan Powell (2025), and Hardy Watts (2025).
However, Wisconsin didn’t recruit as well in the 2026 class, signing only one offensive lineman in the class (four-star Brady Bekkenhuis) after initially targeting three during the summer.
Wisconsin is expected to hire former Baylor Bears and Arkansas Razorbacks offensive line coach Eric Mateos, who was not retained on Ryan Silverfield’s new staff. Mateos has experience with offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, having worked with him at Baylor and BYU in the past.
Mateos has a tall development task ahead of him, as he’ll have to build up an offensive line laden with young talent and three potential departures (Riley Mahlman, Jake Renfro, Joe Brunner).
We’ll see if the Badgers choose to make any other major staff moves, but AJ Blazek’s departure is the first of the offseason.
