Wisconsin has found its replacement for Jack Bicknell Jr., who was recently reassigned to a different position on the UW coaching staff.
AJ Blazek, who spent the past three seasons as the offensive line coach at Vanderbilt, will take on the same role with the Badgers, the school officially announced on Wednesday.
“We’re thankful to have AJ joining our staff,” head coach Luke Fickell said in a release. “He has a track record of success across college football. AJ brings a familiarity of playing in the Big Ten, as well as recruiting experience in traditional Big Ten areas, to our program.”
Blazek brings over 20 years of coaching experience with him to Madison. A former All-Big Ten center at Iowa, Blazek began his career as a graduate assistant with the Hawkeyes (2002 to 2004). He then made stops at Fort Hays State (2005-2008), Winona State (2009-2012), Western Illinois (2013-2015), Rutgers (2016-2018) and North Dakota State (2019-2020).
In 2022, the Commodores allowed 1.25 sacks per game on the season, fourth in the SEC and 26th nationally. In 2023, Vanderbilt had eight different linemen play at least 100 snaps. The were No. 122 in the country in rushing offense (95.2) this past fall.
“I can’t wait to get to work with Coach Fickell and his staff in Madison,” Blazek said in the same release. “I’ve admired the program from afar for a long time and I’m honored to be leading a unit that has such a rich history at Wisconsin.”
The nucleus this spring for Blazek is expected to be returning starers Jack Nelson, Joe Huber and Riley Mahlman, as well as Joe Brunner, Jake Renfro and J.P. Benzschawel. That group will be joined by five scholarship signees from the senior recruiting class.
“I’m thrilled to get back into the Big Ten and be part of a program that has a strong history of success,” Blazek said. “With a new era of the conference beginning next season, this opportunity with the Badgers is extremely exciting for me and my family.”
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