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Wisconsin Badgers have inside track to promising young SEC lineman in transfer portal

The Wisconsin Badgers new offensive line coach could bring a promising young player with him from his former team through the transfer portal this winter.
Lorin Cox|
Arkansas offensive lineman Blake Cherry could follow his position coach, Eric Mateos, to the Wisconsin Badgers in the transfer porta.
Arkansas offensive lineman Blake Cherry could follow his position coach, Eric Mateos, to the Wisconsin Badgers in the transfer porta. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

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The Wisconsin Badgers new offensive line coach could bring a promising young player with him from his former team through the transfer portal this winter.

Eric Mateos came to Madison after spending the last two seasons coaching offensive line at Arkansas.

While he won't be able to bring the whole Razorbacks line with him to Wisconsin, he could poach a player or two through the portal.

Arkansas guard Blake Cherry announced his intention to enter the transfer portal Sunday, and it's not hard to connect the dots to the Badgers.

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Cherry was a three-star recruit in the 2025 class, playing 25 snaps of offense across three games during his freshman season.

He appeared in all 12 games on special teams and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Coming out of high school in Owasso, Oklahoma, Cherry ranked as a Top 75 interior offensive lineman in the country by both ESPN and 247Sports.

He was viewed as a key part of the Razorbacks' future on the offensive line under Mateos, who was not retained when Arkansas made a coaching change.

That prompted Cherry to enter the portal, and he is a strong candidate to follow his position coach to Madison where he could have the opportunity to compete to start as a sophomore.

Related: New Badgers OL coach brings new confidence for Wisconsin linemen: 'I've never failed'

Wisconsin's starting left guard Joe Brunner is still undecided as to whether he will return to the Badgers, enter the transfer portal or declare for the NFL Draft. Veteran center Jake Renfro is entering the portal after seeking a medical redshirt for the season.

The right guard spot was manned by redshirt freshman Colin Cubberly, whose inconsistency leaves that job up for grabs this offseason.

Cherry wouldn't be guaranteed anything, but he would fit right in with a group of young linemen developing at Wisconsin, now under Mateos' guidance.

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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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