Kevin Heywood Outlines How Eric Mateos 'Lit a spark' in Badgers' Offensive Line

New Wisconsin offensive line coach Eric Mateos didn't waste any time upon joining the Badgers.

The day he got hired, he called offensive tackle Kevin Heywood to introduce himself. By the time the two had their first one-on-one meeting, he had already watched Heywood's film from the previous spring.

“He’s a dog, I love him so much," Heywood said with a smile. "He’s just as honest as it gets. He’ll pick up the phone and tell you you messed up; there’s no sugarcoating anything. I think he’s very focused on the details.”

Mateos "Lit a spark" for Wisconsin

Along with five incoming transfers, Mateos is a big part of the renewed optimism for Wisconsin's offensive line. The once-proud unit has been a shell of its former self in recent seasons, weathering a carousel of coaching changes, injuries and flat-out poor play.

Mateos, who comes over from Arkansas but spent time on staff with offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes at Baylor and BYU, is now tasked with helping rebuild the heart and soul of Wisconsin football. By all accounts, he's off to a tremendous start.

"Having coach Mateos here, it really just lit a spark up in us," Heywood continued. "Because he’s really just honest. He’ll tell you what you need to focus on to do better. There’s not one single practice where he’s not focused on details and the small things, which I think lacked in the past.”

How Mateos differs from AJ Blazek

Former Wisconsin offensive line coach AJ Blazek. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

First of all, it's interesting to note that Heywood mentions that Mateos' detail-oriented approach is different than "in the past," which is a nice way of saying under previous offensive line coach AJ Blazek. Blazek was a good recruiter and a charismatic guy, but if he wasn't focused on the details at each and every practice, that's not an approach you can take and still call yourself "O-Line U."

Mateos is lauded as an excellent teacher of the game, and his detail-oriented approach has clearly won Heywood over. The offensive tackle also said that Mateos sat him down to talk about which side of the line he's more comfortable on, leading to Heywood's newfound gig as starting right tackle.

Coaches obviously have to make executive decisions at times, but that kind of communication and respect between Mateos and his players also seems like it's lit the whole room on fire.

Wisconsin football is a program built on dominance in the offensive trenches. After a long hiatus, it finally appears to have an offensive line coach that can hold the Badgers to that standard.

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