Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell is shaking up his staff after the Badgers' worst season in 35 years.
According to Badgers Blitz's Evan Flood, Fickell has fired offensive line coach AJ Blazek, who had spent the past two seasons in Madison, and Fickell apparently has a replacement in mind.
“Per sources, Wisconsin has zeroed in on former Arkansas offensive line coach Eric Mateos, who was not retained by new head coach Ryan Silverfield,” Flood wrote. “This is a preferred candidate of offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes. Two worked together while at Baylor.”
Blazek, an Iowa alumnus, came to Wisconsin after three seasons as the offensive line coach at Vanderbilt. He previously served in the same position at the likes of North Dakota State, Rutgers, and Western Illinois. At UW, Blazek succeeded Jack Bicknell Jr., who was moved to an off-field role before leaving for West Virginia before this past season.
Whether Blazek is replaced with Mateos or not, it's no surprise that Fickell is making changes in the aftermath of the 2025 season. The 4-8 campaign featured the second losing record under Fickell in three years, and after a string of decisive losses, fans called for his job so much to the point that athletic director Chris McIntosh came out and publicly supported Fickell more than once, confirming he would be back for another season.
The Badgers lost six consecutive games by at least two scores while never scoring more than 14 points in the middle of the season before a stunning 13-10 upset of 23rd-ranked Washington on Nov. 8. Two weeks later, Wisconsin again pulled off an upset, as the Badgers soundly beat No. 21 Illinois 27-10.
In three seasons, Fickell is 17-21 as the Wisconsin head coach. Before taking the job, he went 57-18 at Cincinnati, which he took to the Peach Bowl and then the College Football Playoff.
