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Former Wisconsin OL coach reunites with ex-Badgers defensive coordinator on new team

After the Badgers let go of offensive line coach A.J. Blazek, he opted to reunite with a former Wisconsin defensive coordinator on a new team down south.
Lorin Cox|
Former Wisconsin Badgers offensive line coach AJ Blazek is taking the same position for the Central Florida Knights.
Former Wisconsin Badgers offensive line coach AJ Blazek is taking the same position for the Central Florida Knights. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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The UCF Knights are starting to look a little more like the Wisconsin Badgers South, ironically led by former Nebraska head coach Scott Frost.

Frost provided a landing spot for now former Badgers offensive line coach A.J. Blazek, who Wisconsin let go of earlier this month and replaced with former Arkansas OL coach Eric Mateos.

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At UCF, Blazek reunites with defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, who was Wisconsin's co-defensive coordinator for the 2024 season before joining the Knights this past year.

Blazek spent the past two seasons with the Badgers, helping propel Jack Nelson and Joe Huber to the start of their NFL careers this past fall.

Wisconsin's offensive line underwhelmed in 2025, though injuries didn't make the job easy.

The group underwent frequent lineup changes before settling into a starting five down the stretch that helped the Badgers win two games against ranked opponents late in the season.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers shake up defensive staff by adding new cornerbacks coach

Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes chose to replace Blazek with Mateos, who had previous experience with Grimes at BYU and Baylor.

Grinch had come to Wisconsin after being fired as USC's defensive coordinator. After one year with the Badgers, he was hired away to UCF to be the coordinator under Frost.

Now Blazek and Grinch are reunited on a Knights team that finished 5-7 this season and are in need of an offensive boost.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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