Wisconsin football makes change at offensive line coach

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As Wisconsin's offseason continues, head coach Luke Fickell is making a major move to his coaching staff. News broke on Wednesday that the program is moving on from offensive line coach A.J. Blazek and hiring former Arkansas OL coach Eric Mateos to take over.

Mateos worked previously with offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes at both BYU and Baylor, where he helped those teams develop some of the best offensive line units in the country.

Despite going 2-10 with a brutal non-conference and SEC schedule, Arkansas's offensive line was one of the team's only bright spots this past season. The team averaged 5.8 yards per carry, which ranked fifth-best in the nation. Additionally, the Razorbacks finished tenth in the country in total yards per game (459.5) and averaged an impressive 6.58 yards per play. They also ranked fourth among Power Four programs in average time to allowed pressure, averaging 4.07 seconds per play.

Just last week, Mateos was informed that new Razorbacks head coach Ryan Silverfield would not retain him, much to fans' dismay. Many SEC programs' fans clamored for Mateos, including Auburn and Florida, which are building new coaching staffs. This proves how widely respected the coach is and the impact this hire could have.

Wisconsin's offensive line play was far from the program's standard in 2025. With a huge year coming up for Fickell and the Badgers, running back the same offensive line room seemed like a risk he could not take. Hiring Mateos, who has already had tremendous success with Grimes at previous stops, is an excellent move that could be huge for Wisconsin in the long run.

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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell offensive line Eric Mateos hire

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