UCF Hires New Offensive Line Coach
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The UCF Knights and coach Scott Frost have found their next offensive line coach in AJ Blazek, according to multiple reports on Monday evening.
Source: UCF is expected to hire AJ Blazek as offensive line coach. Blazek most recently coached O-line at Wisconsin, and has made stops at Vanderbilt, North Dakota State, Rutgers and elsewhere. Former All-Big Ten lineman and co-captain at Iowa.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) December 22, 2025
First reported by @UCFSports. pic.twitter.com/pMNbwKO1Cn
Blazek is coming off a two-year stint at Wisconsin under coach Luke Fickell, parting ways with the program on Dec. 10.
The Badgers are coming off a season in which they were the fourth-least penalized team in the FBS, though they were also 115th in the FBS and 16th in the Big Ten in rushing offense. This was coming off a 2024 season in which they were the eighth-least penalized team in the FBS and ranked 78th in the FBS and 8th in the Big Ten in rushing offense.
A former offensive lineman himself at Iowa, Blazek has been coaching for over 20 years, working his way up through a couple of Division II schools and an FCS school before landing his first FBS job with Rutgers in 2016. After a two-year stint at North Dakota State, he returned to the FBS for three seasons before he ended up in Wisconsin, where he coached on the same staff as Alex Grinch, the Badgers' co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach during the 2024 season.
See Blazek's full coaching journey below:
Year | School | Position |
|---|---|---|
2002-2004 | Iowa | Graduate Assistant |
2005 | Fort Hays State (D2) | Offensive Line Coach |
2006-2008 | Fort Hays State (D2) | Offensive Coordinator |
2009 | Winona State (D2) | Offensive Line Coach |
2010-2012 | Winona State (D2) | Co-OC/OL Coach/TE Coach |
2013 | Western Illinois (FCS) | Offensive Line Coach |
2014-2015 | Western Illinois (FCS) | Run-Game Coordinator/OL Coach |
2016 | Rutgers | Offensive Line Coach |
2017-2018 | Rutgers | Assistant Head Coach/OL Coach |
2019-2020 | North Dakota State | Offensive Line Coach |
2021-2023 | Vanderbilt | Offensive Line Coach |
2024-2025 | Wisconsin | Offensive Line Coach |
During Blazek's stint in Madison, he worked with players like Joe Huber, who was voted All-Big Ten Third Team by coaches in 2024, and Jack Nelson, who was drafted in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.
Blazek also worked with several future NFL players during his time at North Dakota State, including 2023 second-round pick Cody Mauch, 2021 second-round pick Dillon Radunz and 2022 fourth-round pick Cordell Volson. He was a part of the Bison squad that took home the FCS National Championship in 2019.
Blazek takes over in Orlando after a season in which the Knights tragically lost their offensive line coach, Shawn Clark, who passed away at the age of 50 on Sep. 21. Clark's assistant, Alex Farah, assumed coaching duties after Clark was hospitalized on Sep. 9 following a medical emergency. Following Clark's passing, his former boss at Purdue, Danny Hope, was brought in, joining Farah as co-offensive line coach to finish out the season.
On the field, the Knights' offensive line was part of the reason why they were one of the most-penalized teams in the FBS, ranking 118th out of 134 teams in fewest penalties, with most of them coming on pre-snap penalties, such as false starts.
Blazek does not have long to familiarize himself with the program before the transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2.
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Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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