Player Previews: Will ex-Arkansas Razorback OL Blake Cherry see Action This Fall?

Over the course of the summer leading up to Big Ten Media Days and fall camp, Badgers On SI will extensively preview Wisconsin football's roster with a write-up for each player expected to be remotely involved in 2026.

We continue the series with an offensive lineman who followed Eric Mateos from Fayetteville to Madison, former Arkansas Razorback Blake Cherry.

2025 Stats

12 games (largely mop-up duty and special teams)

Overview

Cherry managed to get on the field in all 12 games as a freshman, even if it was mostly limited to special teams and end-of-game situations. The 6-foot-5, 308-pound offensive guard played under and was recruited by Wisconsin's new offensive line coach Eric Mateos, and the latter hand-picked Cherry to come with him to Madison this offseason.

“When all of this is going down at Arkansas, the kids know I ain’t probably sticking around. And so there were several of them that wanted to keep playing for me, but I let everything happen as it happened," Mateos said this spring.

"Some kids got in the portal, and you know, maybe didn’t wanna come up north. Some kids had a girlfriend that was a little closer. I’m really glad that Blake is with me. He’s tough as nails, and he’s a Wisconsin O-line type guy.”

Cherry has just one season of college ball under his belt, but he could potentially be the Badgers' No. 3 offensive guard. He's a surefire second-teamer at the very least.

Best-Case Scenario

Cherry, again, looks like the Badgers' top backup at offensive guard at the moment behind Emerson Mandell and Colin Cubberly. Wisconsin would obviously prefer to have those two hold down the starting guard spots all season.

A best-case scenario for Cherry involves him somehow usurping one of either Cubberly or Mandell either due to injury or poor play, which of course wouldn't be ideal for Wisconsin. But Cherry is only a sophomore; his career isn't riding on him earning a starting role this fall. What would be best for Wisconsin, and still quite beneficial for Cherry, is for him to earn a rotational role where he still plays a handful of snaps but isn't relied upon to be a starter.

Matoes loves his game; that's certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

“He’s got really quick, good feet. He’s a little stiff in a good way. Like, he’s wound up, when he hits people there’s some pop there and some snap. He loves football, he has a huge passion for the game," he said. "He fits everything I want in an offensive lineman.”

Worst-Case Scenario

If Wisconsin needs to tap into its bench for another guard, I expect Cherry to be the first man up. A worst-case scenario for Cherry either involves him getting surpassed on depth chart (potentially by Stylz Blackmon, the other second-team guard in spring ball) or simply riding the bench the entire year as Cubberly and Mandell dominate guard snaps.

The latter wouldn't be the worst for Wisconsin, or Cherry for that matter as he's only in his second year of eligibility in 2026. There's still plenty of time for the ex-Razorback to develop into a stellar, starting-caliber offensive lineman.

Prediction

Eric Mateos and his offensive line. | Christian Borman.

I don't see Cherry starting this fall unless Cubberly or Mandell goes down with an injury. I have enough belief in both of the two projected starting guards to where unless Cherry is absolutely steamrolling defensive linemen in practice, I doubt he earns a start based on performance.

Still, I think Mateos likes Cherry as a player to the point where I do see him earning some snaps in 2026, whether they're of the rotational or mop-up variety. I'd expect the former Razorback to see the most offensive snaps of his career this fall, but still fall into the category of backup/reserve lineman barring a starter going down with injury.

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