The Wisconsin Badgers have made a major change to the football staff after relieving longtime offensive line coach AJ Blazek of his duties.
Wisconsin announced this morning that Blazek would no longer hold the title of offensive line coach, and would be relieved of his duties effective immediately. Blazek had been a core part of the construction and recruitment of the line, but this past season was difficult to recover from.
The Badgers additionally announced a new offensive line coach in Eric Mateos who formerly worked for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Mateos was not among the staff members retained by Ryan Silverfield who was hired as the next coach at Arkansas. The Razorbacks have been disappointing in SEC play the past few seasons, but the offensive line has been one of the few bright spots for the team.
Who is the Newest Wisconsin Badgers Offensive Line Coach Following the Departure of AJ Blazek?
Wisconsin Badgers Head Coach Luke Fickell ultimately had to make a difficult decision and chose to move on from Blazek after the team allowed 27 sacks. One could certainly argue that the offense was held back by the play of the line even with the chaos at quarterback, and the play of the line was unfortunately too much.
While Mateos was not retained by his new boss, Wisconsin made the decision to hire another SEC product due to his track record. Mateos has sent 13 players to the NFL since 2014 across his time at BYU, Baylor, and Arkansas. The coach has done a great job at developing many of the players he has overseen while also being a successful transfer portal recruiter.
The Razorbacks’ offense averaged 459.5 yards per game in 2024 which was good enough to earn the 10th overall ranking in the FBS. The offense also broke a school record with three games with 600 or more yards of total offense. Mateos oversaw a line that provided key blocks for 34 rushing touchdowns which was good enough for second-most in school history.
Arkansas finished 2-10 in 2025 with ten-straight losses to end the season, but the team still managed to produce strong numbers. The Razorbacks averaged 191.9 rushing yards, 262.9 net passing yards, and 32.9 points per game. Arkansas had the second-best run blocking unit in the FBS with a PFF grade of 93.1 this past season, sitting behind the Oregon Ducks.
The decision for the Badgers’ staff to move on without Blazek and subsequently hire Mateos is one that comes at a pivotal time. Evaluators are not perfect and hitting on every addition is unlikely, but Mateos has a deep track record of plucking the right talent. Wisconsin is expected to receive a new influx of NIL funds with the transfer portal starting to heat-up as more programs end the season.
The Badgers finished with the 84th-ranked pass blocking unit and the 107th-best run blocking unit in the FBS this season. During the 2024 season, Wisconsin had the third-best pass blocking unit in the country for reference. Injuries made things difficult for Blazek and the Badgers this season, but an inability to truly prepare could have factored into the result.
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